Christ Church, University of Oxford, is marking its 500th anniversary with a major music festival this autumn. The Christ Church 500 Music Festival will feature concerts, recitals, and special events throughout October and November, celebrating the college and cathedral’s remarkable musical heritage.
Founded in 1525 by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey as Cardinal College – later re-established as Christ Church by King Henry VIII – the Foundation has always placed music at its heart. The Cathedral Choir, established in the same year with John Taverner as its first Organist and Master of the Choristers, remains world-renowned today.
The festival will showcase composers and performers linked to Christ Church across five centuries, from Taverner, Dowland, and Walton to contemporary voices. Highlights include performances by renowned ensembles The English Concert, Phantasm, and Alamire, alongside distinguished soloists and Christ Church alumni.
The festival opens on 01 October with a special performance of Haydn’s The Creation, featuring the Cathedral Choir, Frideswide Voices, and The English Concert, under the direction of Peter Holder. Soloists Carolyn Sampson (soprano), William Balkwill (tenor), and Thomas Humphreys (bass) will join the production.
The programme concludes on 25 November with William Walton’s Façade – An Entertainment, first performed in 1923 and presented here in Christ Church’s Renaissance Great Hall, paired with a three-course dinner and wine.
Other highlights include violin and piano recitals by Charlie Lovell-Jones and Julian Chan (09 October), Louise Guy (28 October), and Judith Valerie Engel (16 November); an organ recital by Peter Holder (30 October); and piano works performed by Libby Burgess (21 November).
The festival also features an evening with Errollyn Wallen CBE in conversation (01 November), a performance of John Dowland’s Lachrimae by Phantasm and Elizabeth Kenny (22 November), and choral works by Taverner sung by Alamire (19 November). Contemporary flair arrives on 20 November with The Little Kitchen, blending works by Bobby McFerrin, Phoebe Bridgers, João Gilberto, and more.
The Very Revd Professor Sarah Foot, Dean of Christ Church, said: “From the earliest Tudor compositions to 20th-century English masters and contemporary voices, we invite audiences to journey with us through Christ Church’s musical legacy.”
Tickets for Christ Church 500 Music Festival events are available on Music at Oxford website.
