Benjamin Appl, Helen Charlston, Roderick Williams, & Lotte Betts-Dean Among Performers in Oxford International Song Festival 2025
By Afton MarkayThe Oxford International Song Festival has announced its line up for 2025.
This article only features classical vocal concerts.
Baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist Sholto Kynoch open the festival with a concert highlighting the works of Franz Schubert.
Performance Date: October 10, 2025
Baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist Sholto Kynoch perform a small selection of songs in “Song Sofa.” This event also features a conversation about the selections led by music researcher Katy Hamilton.
Performance Date: October 11, 2025
Mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately, pianist Simon Lepper, and artist James Mayhew present an enchanting program of fairytale songs, in an informal performance suitable for families with children age 4+.
Performance Date: October 11, 2025
Soprano Lorena Paz Nieto, pianist JongSun Woo, and author Natasha Loges’ program explores mostly unfamiliar music and poetry with songs from Africa, Latin America, and East and Southeast Asia.
Performance Date: October 11, 2025
Teaming together once again is mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately, pianist Simon Lepper, and artist James Mayhew. The program of fairytale songs are accompanied by live illustration by Mayhew.
Performance Date: October 11, 2025
Bass-baritone Stephan Loges performs Schubert’s “Winterreise” with pianist Libby Burgess. Natasha Loges provides short introductions.
Performance Date: October 11, 2025
Soprano and lutenist Kristiina Watt performs works by Nicholas Lanier which the composer played and sang for King Charles I.
Performance Date: October 12, 2025
“To Dieter: An Homage to Fischer-Dieskau” is given by baritone Benjamin Appl, pianist James Baillieu, and Jamie Newall.
Performance Date: October 12, 2025
Soprano Claire Booth presents a program of cabaret and cabaret-inspired songs, ranging from Gershwin to Thomas Adès. She is joined by pianist Jâms Coleman.
Performance Date: October 13, 2025
Baritone Benoît Déchelotte and pianist Sarah Murer perform works by composers such as Vaughan Williams, Quilter, Bartók, and Ibert in “The Orient Express.”
Performance Date: October 13, 2025
Baritone Christian Immler and pianist Anne Le Bozec perform selections from Wolf’s “Mörike Lieder.”
Performance Date: October 13, 2025
Tenor Santiago Sánchez presents “Montevideo to Madrid” with pianist Sholto Kynoch.
Performance Date: October 14, 2025
Soprano Julieth Lozano and pianist Ricardo Gosalbo perform Spanish art songs by Obradors, Turina, and Revueltas.
Performance Date: October 14, 2025
Soprano Belén García Burgos and pianist Esther Vilar-Portillo perform a program of Catalan repertoire.
Performance Date: October 14, 2025
“Cubaroque: De Pasión Mortal” is presented by tenor Nicholas Mulroy, and lutenists Elizabeth Kenny and Toby Carr.
Performance Date: October 14, 2025
Ahead of the world premiere of “Untold Lives,” composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad discusses this new song cycle with Kate Kennedy.
Performance Date: October 15, 2025
The world premiere of Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s “Untold Lives” is performed by baritone Neil Balfour and pianist Sid Ramchander.
Performance Date: October 15, 2025
Soprano Zoë Jackson and pianist Emelia Noack-Wilkinson present Libby Larsen’s song cycle, “Try Me, Good King.”
Performance Date: October 15, 2025
Soprano Marie-Laure Garnier and pianist Célia Oneto Bensaid present pieces by Duparc, Debussy, Waksman, and Poulenc among others in “Such a big crush on you.”
Performance Date: October 16, 2025
Baritone Henk Neven performs the works of Schubert, Schumann, Loewe, and Liszt. Hans Eijsackers accompanies at the piano.
Performance Date: October 17, 2025
Baritone George Robarts and pianist Thomas Eeckhout perform songs and shanties from England, Scotland and Ireland, with arrangements by Grainger, Britten, Purcell, Gurney, Ravel, and Vaughan Williams.
Performance Date: October 17, 2025
Mezzo-soprano Olivia Vermeulen presents music from Schubert to Bowie. Pianist Jan Philip Schulze joins.
Performance Date: October 17, 2025
“Schubert in 1825” features “Sieben Gesänge aus Walter Scotts ‘Fräulein vom See’,” performed by sopranos Martha Guth, Zoë Jackson, mezzo-soprano Nancy Holt, tenors Magnus Walker and Sebastian Hill, and baritones Benoît Déchelotte and George Robart. Pianist Graham Johnson leads from piano.
Performance Date: October 18, 2025
Schubert & Co. bring their program, “Schubertiade” to the festival along with some of Schubert’s solo songs.
Performance Date: October 18, 2025
Mezzo-soprano Ellen Pearson and pianist Francesca Lauri perform works by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and Refrainlieder in “Viennese Coffee Morning.”
Performance Date: October 18, 2025
Schubert’s “Im Abendrot” is presented by soprano Nikola Hillebrand and pianist Julius Drake.
Performance Date: October 19, 2025
Baritone Thomas Oliemans performs Schubert’s “Schwanengesang.”
Performance Date: October 19, 2025
Soprano Martha Guth performs selection of Schubert’s songs alongside recently commissioned works by Juhi Bansal. Guth is joined by pianist Erika Switzer and cellist Anna Menzies.
Performance Date: October 20, 2025
Mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean is joined by guitarist Dimitris Soukaras in a concert of Schubert, Ravel, Britten, Bacharach, and Sinead O’Connor, among others.
Performance Date: October 20, 2025
Schubert’s “Die schöne Müllerin” is performed by baritone Roderick Williams and the Carducci String Quartet.
Performance Date: October 20, 2025
Mezzo-soprano Nancy Holt presents works by Berlioz, Grieg, Sibelius, and Emily Hazrati. Weng Soon Tee accompanies at the piano.
Performance Date: October 21, 2025
Emily Hazrati and Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh talk about their collaboration on a cycle inspired by the “Shahnameh” (“The Book of Kings,”) a 10th century epic poem by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. Dominic Parviz Brookshaw, and Philip Ross Bullock join the conversation.
Performance Date: October 21, 2025
The next “Song Sofa” features baritone Roderick Williams, pianist Christopher Glynn, and Katy Hamilton.
Performance Date: October 21, 2025
“Mahler & Swedish Song” is performed by soprano Camilla Tilling and pianist Paul Rivinius.
Performance Date: October 21, 2025
Tenor Oliver Johnston and pianist Natalie Burch present the concert, “Shostakovich, Britten and Mahler.”
Performance Date: October 22, 2025
“Shostakovich: A life in song” is performed by soprano Katy Thomson, pianist Rustam Khanmurzin, and Philip Ross Bullock.
Performance Date: October 22, 2025
“Baba Yaga: Songs & Dances of Death” features mezzo-soprano Rowan Hellier, pianist Sholto Kynoch, dancers Ana Dordevic and Carola Schwab, and Andreas Heise.
Performance Date: October 22, 2025
Tenor Hugo Brady and pianist Mark Rogers present “Moore’s Melodies.”
Performance Date: October 23, 2025
Deirdre Brenner’s project “The Magdalene Songs” featuring works by female Irish composers stars mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean. Brenner joins at the piano.
Performance Date: October 23, 2025
Emily Hazrati and Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh’s “The Book of Kings” is performed by soprano Soraya Mafi and pianist Ian Tindale.
Performance Date: October 23, 2025
Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston is joined by the Consone Quartet in Schumann’s “Frauenliebe und -leben,” arranged by Bill Thorp.
Performance Date: October 24, 2025
Soprano Rosie Lavery and pianist Anna Michels present a program originally curated for the National Galleries of Scotland in celebration of LGBT+ History Month that showcases the works of queer composers and poets. Songs by Copland, Poulenc, and Argento are heard alongside works by Smyth, and Bernstein.
Performance Date: October 24, 2025
Bass Konstantin Krimmel performs “Totentanz.”
Performance Date: October 24, 2025
“Danse Macabre” is performed by soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou. Pianist Keval Shah joins at the piano.
Performance Date: October 24, 2025
John Casken’s “The Shackled King” is presented by alto Rozanna Madylus and pianist Fenella Humphreys.
Performance Date: October 25, 2025
“Duruflé Requiem” stars alto Bethan Langford and baritone Jonathan Eyers. They are joined by the Choir of Merton College, Oxford and organist Benjamin Nicholas.
Performance Date: October 25, 2025
Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston and pianist Sholto Kynoch close the festival with their program, “Love’s Labyrinth.”
Performance Date: October 25, 2025
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