The noun SmorgasChord denotes a cultural feast with numerous concerts in one day. The format of a SmorgasChord goes like this: guests may gorge on music, poetry and art till fully satiated. There is an expectation that they may still be somewhat famished in that regard...
Above: Hugo Herman Wilson and Sebastian Black perform Robert Schumann's Requiem, Op. 90, at SmorgasChord 2021.
SmorgasChord 2022
One year after presenting our inaugural festival, we bring you three days packed with music, poetry and art!
We are so excited to welcome our featured artists to Oxford, among them tenor Mark Padmore, pianist Andrew West, vocalist Kirit Singh, jorī player Jasdeep Singh, Echéa Quartet, composer Donghoon Shin, pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu, and cellist Tim Posner.
Especially exciting is the first ever public showing of eight paintings by the artist Eva Frankfurther. The paintings will form the backbone of Sunday's concerts and it is a huge honour to be able to show them for the first time.
As usual, new music is essential to what we do. This year, we perform music by countless living composers from home and abroad, including Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Donghoon Shin and György Kurtág. Particularly intriguing will be the world premiere of a new piece for solo cello by Sebastian Black, commissioned for the festival for performance by Tim Posner.
The weather will be delightful, the evenings long, the wine insightful, the coffee strong: we look forward to seeing you there!
Tickets on sale: 9am on 4 March.
17 June | University Church | 7.30pm
Mark Padmore | Andrew West | Echéa Quartet | Hugo Herman-Wilson | Sebastian Black
Robert Schumann | Lili Boulanger | Henry Purcell | Joseph Haydn | Modest Mussorgsky | Harrison Birtwistle
Harrison Birtwistle Songs from the Same Earth
£20 | £15 | £10 | Students £5 | Festival Pass £50
18 June | Jericho Coffee Traders Roastery | 10am, 11am, 12pm
A handful of short, fun pop-up concerts featuring artists from the festival
Swing by for a coffee, music and a chat at JCT's roastery in Osney!
18 June | New College Chapel | 8pm
George Xiaoyuan Fu | drupadhamar | Kirit Singh | Jasdeep Singh | Echéa Quartet | John Myerscough
Olivier Messiaen Catalogue d'Oiseaux (Book I)
Drupad & Dhamār
Franz Schubert String Quintet in C major D. 956
£20 | £10 | Students £5 | Festival Pass £50
19 June | Jericho Coffee Traders Roastery | Osney | 12 noon
Our festival BBQ, featuring all sorts of delicious treats.
A wonderful opportunity to hang out with the artists from the festival!
19 June | Jesus College Chapel | 3.30pm
Andrew Dickinson | Vitor Fernandes | Hugo Herman-Wilson | Echéa Quartet
Poetry by
Gjertrud Schnackenberg | Walt Whitman | Gwendolyn Brooks | Joelle Taylor
James Merrill A Victor Dog
Music by
Sebastian Black | Sir George Benjamin
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major K. 581
£12 | Students £3 | Sunday Pass £25 | Festival Pass £50
19 June | New College Chapel | from 8pm
Tim Posner | Emily Earl | Donghoon Shin | Sebastian Black | Vitor Fernandes | Aliayta Foon-Dancoes | Echéa Quartet
Music by
Sebastian Black* | Gustav Mahler | Wolfgang Rihm | Donghoon Shin | Clara Schumann | György Kurtag | Oliver Knussen | Ludwig van Beethoven
Art by
Eva Frankfurther
*World premiere
£20 | £10 | Students £5 | Sunday Pass £25 | Festival Pass £50
