The Oxford International Song Festival (formerly the Oxford Lieder Festival prior to 2023) is a UK-based classical music festival, specialising in the art-song repertoire.
 | |
| Company type | Company limited by guarantee, registered charity |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music & entertainment |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Oxford, England |
Key people | Sholto Kynoch: Founder-director |
| Website | oxfordsong |
History
editThe Festival was founded in 2002 by the pianist Sholto Kynoch,[1] and in a short space of time grew to be the United Kingdom's largest art song festival.[2] Oxford Lieder is now a registered charity and in addition to the annual festival which takes place in October,[3] there are regular concerts and masterclasses throughout the year, and a growing programme of educational events. While most events are held in a core set of venues (including Holywell Music Room[4] and the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building), there has been a recent show of concerts outside of central Oxford, England.
Recordings
editIn 2010, Oxford Lieder made its first recording with Stone Records under the Oxford Lieder Live banner. The disc, released in 2011,[5] was the first in a series that will comprise the first complete recordings of the songs of Hugo Wolf.[6] Seven of a total of eleven discs have now been released. In 2013, Oxford Lieder & Stone Records released a live recording of the complete Canticles of Benjamin Britten and a CD entitled 'Schubert Lieder Year by Year', featuring one song from each year of Schubert's compositional life.
Since 2014, the festival has broadcast filmed performances online. Jeremy Hamway-Bidgood's 2014 film, 'Franz Schubert: Erlkönig' featuring music performed by Daniel Norman (Tenor) and Sholto Kynoch (Piano).[7] During the 2020 festival, British-Iranian soprano Soraya Mafi performed a setting of Rumi's poem "Heart Snatcher" by Iranian composer Mahdis Kashani.[8]
Since 2023, the Oxford Lieder Festival has been renamed to Oxford International Song Festival.[9]
Other activities
editOxford Lieder runs a Young Artist Platform, promoting young singer-pianist duos to music clubs and societies around England, Wales and Scotland. It is part of the Oxford Music Network,[10] and works with local schools during the annual festival.[11]
Performers
editPerformers who have participated in the festival include:
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Soprano | Soraya Mafi, Mary Bevan, Sarah-Jane Brandon, Sophie Daneman, Geraldine McGreevy, Kate Royal |
| Mezzo-soprano | Sarah Connolly, Anna Grevelius, Kitty Whately |
| Tenor | Nicky Spence, James Gilchrist, Daniel Norman, Mark Padmore, Ian Partridge, Robin Tischler |
| Baritone | Thomas Allen, Olaf Bär, William Dazeley, Gerald Finley, Thomas Guthrie, Wolfgang Holzmair, Jonathan Lemalu, Stephan Loges, Christopher Maltman, Roderick Williams, Nicky Spence, Mark Stone, Håkan Vramsmo |
| Pianist | Eugene Asti, Iain Burnside, Julius Drake, Michael Dussek, Iain Farrington, Graham Johnson, Sholto Kynoch, Natasha Loges, Malcolm Martineau, Paul Plummer, Sholto Kynoch |
| Harpsichordist | Julian Perkins |
| Narrator | Simon Callow |
References
edit- ^ "Opera Today : Ten Years of Celebrating Song: Oxford Lieder Festival 2011". operatoday.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Oxford Lieder Festival - October 2013 Events - Classical Music". Archived from the original on 7 April 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Preview of the Oxford Lieder Festival (From The Oxford Times)". oxfordtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Anna Larsson – review | Music | The Guardian". guardian.co.uk. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Wolf: The Complete Songs Vol 1: Mörike Lieder Part 1 – review | Music | The Guardian". guardian.co.uk. 21 May 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ Stone Records. Website. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ "On Wenlock Edge: Online Film Screening | Events". Oxford Lieder. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ "08. Hafez and Persian Poetry in Song (Part One) | Events". Oxford Lieder. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ ccaspell (7 June 2023). "Oxford Lieder Festival renamed as the Oxford International Song Festival". The Classical Source. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ "The Oxford Music Network". oxfordmusicnetwork.net. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ Oxford Lieder website. Retrieved 20 November 2011.