Sheldonian Theatre
Elegant, sophisticated and brimming with old fashioned glamour, this unusual venue is ideal for luxurious private dining, drinks and wedding receptions, talks & meetings, awards ceremonies, musical concerts and performances. Located in the city centre, the venue’s main space hosts 750 with a further meeting room for 80. It also boasts a rarity in the city – an indoor space at the top of the venue where you can enjoy drinks and panoramic views of the city’s skyline.
Want to know more? Take a virtual tour and discover the history of the Sheldonian
Contact the Oxford University Event Venues team to find out more at venueenquiries@admin.ox.ac.uk
Address:
Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street,Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3AZ United Kingdom
Events
April 2023
St Matthew Passion | Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Bach St Matthew Passion, BWV 244 Robert Murray Evangelist Tristan Hambleton Christ Mary Bevan soprano Helen Charlston mezzo-soprano Mark Wilde tenor David Stout bass The Choir of The Queen’s College The Boys of Radley College Choir Owen Rees conductor Bach’s great depiction of Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion, the St Matthew Passion, was unprecedented when it was first performed on Good Friday 1727. All that could have prepared the congregation at St Thomas’s Church in Leipzig was their own Lutheran belief in importance of reliving the suffering and transcendence…
Find out more »American Journey | Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Still Wood Notes Price Piano Concerto Barber Adagio for Strings Copland Appalachian Spring Suite Samantha Ege piano Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey conductor Between them, Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber defined the orchestral sound of America in the first half of the 20th century. From Copland’s simple sounds of the open prairie to the emotional depths of Samuel Barber’s heart-rending harmonies, this is music that could have come from no other time or place. But plenty of gems of American music remain undiscovered. Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey also brings us Florence…
Find out more »Jupiter Orchestra, George Caird: Albinoni, Rose and Friends
From one of the oldest, and most loved, oboe concertos to one of the newest, with a world premiere from composer and conductor Gregory Rose in celebration of his 75th birthday. Both performed by renowned oboist George Caird, a long-standing friend of Rose, the evening will also feature two works for string orchestra. Janáček’s Idyll Suite, previously recorded for Chandos by the Jupiter Orchestra, will be performed alongside Tchaikovsky’s heartfelt Serenade for Strings. At the Sheldonian Theatre. ‘Throughout, Gregory Rose…
Find out more »The Creation | Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Haydn The Creation Mhairi Lawson soprano Thomas Elwin tenor Jonathan Brown bass The Choir of Merton College Marios Papadopoulos conductor In 1791, Joseph Haydn was overwhelmed by a performance of Handel’s Messiah in London. As he prepared to return home, Haydn was slipped a libretto on the subject of the creation of the universe originally conceived for Handel. When The Creation was first performed seven years later, Haydn was overcome yet again - this time by his own achievements. In representing chaos and the creation…
Find out more »May 2023
French Pastoral
Fauré Pelléas et Mélisande Suite, Op. 80 Britten Les Illuminations, Op. 18 Debussy Prélude à l’aprés-midi d’un faune Ravel Ma mère l’oye (Mother Goose Suite) Ruby Hughes soprano Nicolò Foron conductor It was quite the gift: in 1910, Ravel wrote a set of five pieces for piano depicting classic fairytales for two children he babysat. But these little stories, from Tom Thumb to Beauty and the Beast, proved far more significant when augmented and orchestrated. The result was a present to Ravel from himself: a musical…
Find out more »June 2023
Enigma Variations | Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Morfydd Llwyn Owen Nocturne* Side-by-Side Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 Elgar Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36, ‘Enigma’ Alban Gerhardt cello Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey conductor* Marios Papadopoulos conductor When Edward Elgar started to improvise a little tune at his piano one day, considering how a group of his closest friends might play that tune, he gave birth to one of the greatest masterpieces of English music. The ‘Enigma’ variations are uplifting and resigned, humorous and profound. Elgar’s dazzling, virtuosic orchestral showpiece comes after…
Find out more »The Orchestral Music of Afghanistan | Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra
Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey conductor Featuring new compositions by Afghan composers living in exile, this concert celebrates the rich history of traditional Afghan music and explores how that tradition can be maintained and expanded globally at a time when making music in Afghanistan is forbidden. Curated and conducted by Oxford Philharmonic’s Conducting Fellow Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey, the Orchestra will be joined by guest performers on traditional Afghan instruments to give performances of recently composed works by composers Elaha Soroor, Milad Yousufi, Arson Fahim, Meena…
Find out more »Bruckner Seven
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19 Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E major, WAB 107 Paul Lewis piano Marios Papadopoulos conductor None of his works brought Anton Bruckner the joy and pride of his seventh symphony. This is the composer’s most delicately etched orchestral creation and his most instantly beautiful – a symphony that enshrines a heartfelt eulogy for Richard Wagner but thrusts with excitement and changeability too. For this culmination of our season at the Sheldonian Theatre, Marios…
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