Upcoming Concerts
Reserve your place at our next concert now via the Tickets page!
Next Term:
On Friday 17th May at 7:30pm at The Sheldonian Theatre, OUO will join forces with the exceptional Oxford University Jazz Orchestra (OUJO) and our 2023-34 Early Career Conductor, Ed Liebrecht (biography) for An Evening of Orchestral Jazz. This exciting collaboration is perfectly crafted to bring you an enjoyable evening of orchestral jazz, combining film score highlights from 20th century America and a selection of big band favourites written by Gershwin, Sinatra, and others.
The highlight of this concert is Gershwin’s jazz-influenced symphonic poem An American in Paris which combines the influences of American Blues and French composers such as Debussy and Poulenc. This piece is absolutely synonymous with the orchestral jazz genre and was the subject of an extensive dance sequence in the Oscar-winning 1951 film of the same name. The Oscar-winning theme continues with the Suite from Korngold’s 1938 score of The Adventures of Robin Hood, the first time that an Oscar had been awarded directly to a composer.
Accompanying this fantastic trio of works, the concert will be interspersed by favourites of the big band repertoire, but in a way that you may never have heard them before as they are accompanied by symphony orchestra. OUJO have an excellent reputation for this kind of music throughout Oxford and further afield, we’re delighted that they’re joining us for this concert and we can’t wait to hear their incredible vocal soloists showcase audience favourites from George Gershwin, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra such as Let's Face the Music and Dance and New York, New York. We hope that you can join us for what promises to be an evening of true entertainment and top-quality music making.
Also this term, OUSinf (our partner chamber orchestra) will team up with our new 2024-25 conductor James Norton for an evening of chamber repertoire by Mozart (Cosi Fan Tutte Overture), Ravel (Le Tombeau de Couperin), and Farrenc (Symphony No.1). This concert will also feature the winner of our 2024 composition competition which will be announced shortly! This concert will be in Christ Church Cathedral at 7.30pm on Saturday 1st June (6th week). Tickets are available via the tickets page.
Next Season:
Thursday 14th November 2024, 8pm (Schubert 8, Ravel Mother Goose, Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, with Rémy Ballot in collaboration with Professor Martyn Harry and the University Music Faculty)
Saturday 15th February 2025 (Conductor: Natalia Luis-Bassa, Beethoven 9, Choros no.10)
Saturday 24th May 2025 (Conductor and programme to be announced)
