The Oxford Sinfonia

Summer Chamber Concert
2024-06-29 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London) | University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BJ
An exciting mix of classic orchestral chamber music, featuring Handel, Vivaldi, Barber and CPE Bach.
Programme is Handel’s Concerto Grosso Op 3, no 2, Vivaldi’s concerto in G minor RV157, Finzi’s Romance, Beethoven’s Symphony no.1 (arr. wind decet, 2nd and 4th movements), Dvorak’s Czech suite (arr. wind decet), Barber’s Adagio and ending with CPE Bach’s Symphony No 1.
Ticket includes programme and accompanied children are free

40th Anniversary Concert
2024-09-28 19:30 - 21:30 | University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BJ
On 28 Sept, we welcome the return of Joe Davies to conduct our 40th Anniversary concert. And in celebration, Joe has arranged Tallis’ iconic 40-part ‘Spem in alium’, with players occupying all corners of the church. It will be memorable.
We will also play Elgar’s fabulous Introduction and Allegro for strings, Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Winds and end with Dvorak’s Symphony no. 6 in D.
David Palmer (piano) joins us for the Stravinsky. After Graduating from Oxford in 2019, David is now much in demand, including recently being a Britten Pears Young Artist (2022-23) and a Leeds Lieder Young Artist (2024). Since he conducted us 2 years ago, Joe has gone on to become Assistant Conductor of the English Symphony Orchestra and the Musical Director of the UK Proms in the Park Orchestra.
As always accompanied children are free, programme is included and seating unallocated. Join us for a special occasion!

Wagner, Strauss and Dvorak
2025-02-01 19:30 - 21:30 | Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3AZ
Following a memorable concert featuring Jennifer Pike 2 years ago, Robert Weaver returns to conduct us in the Sheldonian on 1 Feb 25. We are joined by the internationally-renowned soprano Rachel Nicholls, who is singing Richard Strauss’ incomparable Four Last Songs, ‘a swansong of sublime beauty’. To set the scene, we open with Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde and we conclude with Dvorak’s ever popular New World Symphony.
Rachel Nicholls is widely recognised as one of the most exciting dramatic operatic sopranos of her generation. Her Brünnhilde in the complete Ring cycle for Longborough Festival Opera in 2013 received the highest critical acclaim. She is also in demand as a concert artist and has performed with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Field, the CBSO, and London Mozart Players and under conductors including Sirs Andrew Davis, Colin Davis, Roger Norrington and Simon Rattle.
Programme included with ticket and accompanied children free in Semi-Circle and both Upper and Lower Galleries. Within each area, tickets are for unallocated seating within that area.

Verdi Requiem
2025-02-22 19:30 - 21:30 | Town Hall Oxford, St Aldates, Oxford, Oxon, OX1 1BX, United Kingdom
We are joining Oxford Orpheus in their annual ‘Come and Sing’ fund-raining event: we are performing the dramatic Verdi Requiem in the Town Hall at 19.30 on Sat 22 Feb.
Raising money for the Oxford Bach Choir’s Schools Choral Programme, whose aim is ‘to give young people the joy of singing’, and the Choir with No Name charity, whose mission is ‘to empower people with experience of homelessness and marginalisation to find opportunities to shine, to build personal resilience and to create positive, joyful singing communities’
Tickets from https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oxford-orpheus-concert-verdis-messa-da-requiem-tickets-1093465688309?aff=oddtdtcreator

Smetana, Dvorak and Beethoven
2025-06-28 19:30 - 21:30 | University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BJ
We are delighted to welcome back George Caird to conduct us in a programme featuring Gerard Flotats playing Dvorak’s Cello Concerto No1. We start with Smetana’s ‘The Bartered Bride’ Overture and conclude with Beethoven’s ever popular Symphony No 6 ‘Pastoral’.
Catalan cellist Gerard Flotats is a versatile young musician, winning the Royal Over-Seas League Strings Competition in 2023. He was the principal cellist of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) and is an active member of many orchestras including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) and the Spanish National Orchestra (ONE)
George Caird has combined a career as an oboist with one as a music educationalist, including spending 17 years as Principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He has worked with many of London’s major orchestras , including of The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. He also devotes much time to chamber music, notably as a founder-member of The Albion Ensemble, Vega Wind Quintet and Caird Oboe Quartet.
As always accompanied children are free, programme is included and seating unallocated.

Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1
2025-09-27 19:30 - 21:30 | University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BJ
Dexter Drown conducts us in a programme featuring Brahms’ meaty First Piano Concerto. In the first half we play Salieri’s Les Horaces Overture, Mozart’s 32nd Symphony and Haydn’s 90th Symphony. And in the second we open with
Mozart’s Idomeneo Overture before playing Brahms’ 1st Piano Concerto
Our soloist Daniel Browell enjoys a busy and varied performing career. Described as a pianist of “considerable intelligence and grace” (Tim Ashley, The Guardian), he has given concerts throughout the UK, Europe, China, and North America, including his BBC Proms debut in 2008. He also in great demand as a teacher, including his role as Head of Piano in Chamber Music at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Dexter Drown is an imaginative up and coming conductor who has been praised for his utterly magical performances of passion, confidence and flair. Growing up in Oxford, Dexter gained a distinction in the Master’s in Orchestral Conducting at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He is the Winner of the Michael Beech Conducting Award and the Abingdon Music Festival Conducting Competition and has been fortunate to participate in the Garsington Opera Conductor Mentorship Programme.
Venue is St Mary’s Church, High St, Oxford.

Malcolm Pearce's 75th Anniversary Concert
2025-10-25 19:30 - 21:30 | St Andrew’s Church, Linton Road, Oxford, OX2 6UG, United Kingdom
Malcolm Pearce marks his 75th anniversary by conducting some of his favourite repertoire. Beethoven’s exhilarating Namensfeier overture precedes Haydn’s 103rd symphony, one of the pinnacles of that composer’s creative ingenuity. After the interval the orchestra is joined by Duncan Honeybourne in Brahms’ 2nd piano concerto, a work in which soloist and orchestra achieve a rapport redolent of chamber music.
Duncan Honeybourne enjoys a diverse profile as a pianist and in music education. Following his concerto debuts at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, and the National Concert Hall, Dublin, he made recital debuts in London, Paris, and at international festivals in Belgium and Switzerland. Commended for his “gripping performances” (The Times), “glittering performances” (International Piano) and “great technical facility and unfailing imagination” (Musical Opinion), Duncan has toured extensively as soloist and chamber musician, broadcasting frequently on BBC Radio 3 and radio networks worldwide.
Malcolm Pearce studied at King’s College London and the Royal College of Music, winning the Walford Davies prize for organ performance in his final year. He was Director of Music at Magdalen College School for 26 years, where he nurtured the talents of many who have subsequently made significant contributions across a broad spectrum of musical activities. He has been directing choirs and orchestras since his early teens and plays continuo with local orchestras and ensembles. He has given solo and concerto performances on the organ at home and abroad and his compositions have been published, recorded and broadcast on Radio 3.

Bicester Choral and Operatic Society
2025-11-22 19:30 - 21:30 | St Edberg’s Church, Bicester, Old Place Yard, Bicester, OX26 6AU, United Kingdom
On 22 November, we accompany the Bicester Choral and Operatic Society (conductor Martin Quinn) in a Beethoven fest, featuring his Mass in C, Choral Fantasy and the 2nd Mov’t of Symphony No.7 .
Tickets from https://www.bcoswesing.org.uk/tickets

Venue: St Edburg’s Church, Bicester

Jennifer Pike plays Sibelius Violin Concerto
2026-01-24 19:30 - 21:30 | Town Hall Oxford, St Aldates, Oxford, Oxon, OX1 1BX, United Kingdom
We are very excited to welcome Jennifer Pike to the Town Hall to perform Sibelius’ wonderful violin concerto. Conducted by Robert Weaver, we will open with Sibelius’ ever popular Finlandia: second half is Nielsen’s ‘Helios’ Overture and Shostakovich’s Symphony No 9.
Two years ago Jennifer gave an unbelievable performance of the Khachaturian concerto with us. Jennifer is renowned for her “dazzling interpretative flair and exemplary technique” (Classic FM) and is in demand as soloist and recitalist all over the world. She is known as an artist of exceptional integrity and depth, whilst her ability to “hold an audience spellbound” (The Strad) and “luminous beauty of tone” (The Observer) have established her as one of the most exciting artists performing today.
Jennifer first gained international recognition in 2002, when, aged 12, she became the youngest-ever winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year and the youngest major prize winner in the Menuhin International Violin Competition. Since then, she is a regular at the BBC Proms and Wigmore Hall and with major orchestras worldwide. Jennifer was awarded an MBE for services to Classical Music in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Programme included with ticket and accompanied children free with standard tickets. Within each ticket area, seating is unallocated. The Town Hall is fully accessible: if wheelchair space is required, please contact info@oxfordsinfonia.co.uk in advance so it can be arranged.
Please note CONCESSION tickets are for Students and Unwaged only

Handel's Messiah
2026-02-28 19:00 - 21:30 | Town Hall Oxford, St Aldates, Oxford, Oxon, OX1 1BX, United Kingdom
We are playing the Goossens version of Handel’s Messiah with the Oxford Orpheus choir. It is completely “rethought” and reorchestrated for a modern symphony orchestra by Eugene Goossens and Thomas Beecham.
We are supporting Oxford Orpheus Concert to raise money for ‘The Choir with No Name’ (choirs for homeless people in seven UK cities) and the Oxford Bach Choir’s Schools Choral Programme (promoting good quality choral singing in secondary schools in the Oxford area).
Tickets on: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oxford-orpheus-sings-handels-messiah-tickets-1975180166047?aff=oddtdtcreator

Prokofiev’s 1st Violin Concerto and Brahms 2
2026-04-18 19:30 - 21:30 | University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BJ
We are delighted to welcome Viviane Plekhotkine to play Prokofiev’s 1st Violin Concerto. We open with Dvorak’s Othello Overture and conclude with Brahms’ 2nd Symphony.
Viviane has recently graduated from the Royal College of Music and has already debuted with the LSEO playing Bruch’s violin concerto. Recent highlights include many collaborations with Camerata Nordica in Sweden, as well as performances with the English National Opera (ENO) and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra.
We are conducted by Alex Mackinder, an exciting young conductor who has just graduated with distinction the Royal College of Music with an MMus (Distinction). He is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Sirius Orchestra, an orchestra that brings together students from all of London’s major music conservatoires. And already he has worked with RCM Symphony Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
As usual. programmes included with ticket and accompanied children are free.

Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto and Tchaikovsky's 'Little Russian' Symphony
2026-06-27 19:30 - 21:30 | University Church of St Mary the Virgin, High Street, Oxford, OX1 4BJ
We welcome back soloist Sasha Canter to play Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto. We open with Smetana’s ‘Vltava’ and ‘Šárka’ from Má Vlast, and Honeggar’s Pastorale d’été. The second half is Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor (‘Little Russian’). We are conducted by Caroline Hobbs-Smith.
Named a Classic FM 2025 Rising Star, Sasha won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Brass final 2022, playing Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mark Wigglesworth. Since then, he has performed the standard works of the trumpet repertoire with orchestras across the UK, including Oxford, Taunton, Rochester and Folkestone. In 2025 he gave his debut recital at St Martin in the Fields with Rustam Khanmurzin. Sasha recorded the complete solo trumpet works of Andrew Downes which will be released later this year as part of a collection of Downes’s sonatas for wind and brass instruments.
South African-born Caroline Hobbs-Smith is an accomplished conductor and educator, with a passion for inspiring musicians through orchestral playing. Her commitment to musical excellence and collaborative spirit has led to a broad experience across genres, covering chamber, symphonic repertoire, baroque, contemporary and film music repertoire. She conducted the Oxfordshire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra for 14 years, performing regularly in Oxford as well as touring extensively across Europe. She currently works regularly with the National Children’s Orchestras of GB.
