Oxford International Song Festival 2023

Oxford International Song Festival 2023

Oxford International Song Festival (formerly Oxford Lieder) is the world’s largest festival of classical song, with over 70 events spread across two busy weeks each October.

The festival engages more than 200 artists from across the world each year, showcasing classical song, new music and nurturing emerging talent.

Oxford Song has built a national and international reputation over the past twenty years for:

• promoting classical song through world-class concerts at the Oxford International Song Festival; 
• developing the next generation of artists through our Young Artist Programme; supporting singing in local primary schools through our annual Schools Programme; and
• showcasing award-winning contemporary classical song through our Associate Composer scheme and Song Futures commissioning programme. 

The special atmosphere at the Oxford International Song Festival is warmly appreciated by artists, many of whom enjoy longstanding relationships with us.

Renowned visitors in recent years have included singers Ian Bostridge, Angelika Kirchschlager, Mark Padmore, Katarina Karnéus, Roderick Williams, Birgid Steinberger, Wolfgang Holzmair, Robert Holl, Christoph Prégardien, and pianists including Graham Johnson, Roger Vignoles, Julius Drake, Imogen Cooper, Thomas Adès and many others.

The festival won an RPS Award in 2015, cited for the ‘breadth, depth and audacity’ of its programming, and was shortlisted once again in 2023.

This year’s thrilling theme aligns the visual arts with poetry and music in a wide variety of ways. 

Alongside a roster of world-renowned singers and pianists, you’ll find colour, fashion, musical manuscripts that are themselves artworks, artist-poets, artist-composers, programmes inspired by artworks, and much more…

For full details of all performances can be found on the events website.

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Tickets

Visit the event website for individual event details, prices and tickets.

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Festival passes

Festival passes are the best way to experience the festival. Save over 25% compared to buying individual tickets, and get access to more than 60 events (some venues have limited capacity, so are excluded).

There are three different passes available: Full Festival Pass (13 to 28 October) at £790, Week One Pass (13 to 21 October inclusive) at £445, or Week Two Pass (20 to 28 October inclusive) at £480. 

Buy festival passes

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Venues

The Oxford International Song Festival takes place across various venues in Oxford, including:

• The Sheldonian Theatre
• Holywell Music Room
• The Queen’s College Chapel
• Upper Library, The Queen’s College 
• Bernard Sunley Lecture Theatre, St Catherine’s College
• The Clore Studios, New College
• Ashmolean Museum: Lecture Theatre
• University Church of St Mary the Virgin 
• The Olivier Hall, St Edward’s School
• The Levine Building, Trinity College
• Freud
• Jacqueline du Pré Music Building
• SJE Oxford
• The Weston Library: Blackwell Hall
• New College Ante Chapel
• Doctorow Room, St Edmund Hall