My third concert with the wonderful Radcliffe Orchestra will take place at 7.45 pm on Saturday 7 March in Tingewick Hall at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. John James returns to play Strauss’ 2nd Horn Concerto and we are performing Brahms and Sibelius to frame this. Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture will open, followed by Sibelius’ Swan
It’s 60 years since my father was appointed as Senior Tutor (later Principal) at Mansfield College (autumn 1959), so it’s fair to say that I have had a lifelong connection with the College. Music has been important there over the years: Eric Routley (hymnolgist and amazing musician) was a Fellow; David Goodall (father of horn
It was so sad that John Whitfield, bassoonist, conductor and musician extraordinary, died on 4 November. He had not enjoyed good health for some time but even so he has left us far too early. From his phenomenal arrival on the scene, through his years as a fine player (LSO, London Mozart Players etc.) and
On 1 December my second concert as President of Oxford Chamber Music Society featured my old friend Nick Daniel playing oboe quartets with his Britten Oboe Quartet colleagues, Jacqueline Shave (violin), Caroline Dearnley (viola) and Clare Finnimore (cello). The concert was a real treat with great performances of Oliver Knussen’s Cantata and Elizabeth Lutyens’ Driving
A memorable evening this autumn was spent playing for the Oxford Elysian Ensemble and Choristers of radley College in a benefit concert on 17 November for Kamran’s Ward, the wonderful home of Paediatric Oncology at the John Radcliffe Hospital. The concert was promoted by Alison Cooke, Richard Wigmore and the OEE and involved performances of
It is a great honour for me to be appointed as the new President of the Oxford Chamber Music Society. Founded as the Oxford Ladies’ Musical Society in 1898 and changing to its current name in 1968, the Society has enjoyed a long and distinguished history of promoting chamber music of the highest standard. In
I was delighted to be asked to talk to the Oxford Centre of the ISM on 22 September and, thanks to Carolyn King’s brilliant organising, to see so many people there. Carolyn had the idea of holding this event in Mansfield College where in the 60’s and 70’s my father was Senior Tutor and subsequently
September has brought some wonderful music making not least two wonderful days with members of the Albion Ensemble. Peter Francomb and Helen Cass had the great idea to get the Albion to join the Riverside Quintet to play decets on 8 September and miraculously we managed to bring Philippa Davies, Andrew Marriner, Peter and myself
This year’s Kammermusik Workshop took us back to Santa Fe for a great week of playing, coaching and fun. The weather late July and early August was especially good and we were immediately able to enjoy it when we stayed for two perfect days with Daren West and Will Buss. They treated us to delicious
Thanks to Father George Frendo, the Caird Oboe Quartet performed for the Victoria International Arts Festival on 13 July. I was so pleased to play again with Simon Blendis, Douglas Paterson and Jane Salmon in Mozart’s C major quartet (K. 285b) and K. 370. The trio also played Beethoven’s G major trio, Op 9 No