St John's International Piano Series: Benjamin Grosvenor

Benjamin Grosvenor plays at St John's College Auditorium on Wednesday 18 November, part of the International Piano Series. It's a long programme that pulls from several different eras, and Grosvenor is taking it all on himself.

The set lists Gubaidulina, Mozart, Chopin, Scriabin, Liszt and Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. It's a broad reach for one evening: Gubaidulina is a contemporary Russian composer, Mozart and Beethoven are the high classics, and Chopin, Scriabin and Liszt bring the Romantic tradition. Having the Moonlight Sonata in there gives the night a familiar anchor, and seeing it alongside the others lets you hear how far the piano has travelled from the late eighteenth century to the present day.

The International Piano Series is the successor to the SJE Arts International Piano Series, run by Artistic Director Michèle Smith. It's just come off a very successful first season, and this new one runs from October 2026 to the end of May 2027. Across the season, Smith brings together favourite performers from past years alongside newcomers who've caught her eye or come with a special recommendation. There are ten concerts in total, spread across St John's College, St Hilda's College and the new Sohmen Concert Hall in the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities — four at each college and two more at the centre.

Grosvenor's concert is one of those ten, and it's a substantial one. It runs from 7:30pm to 9:40pm, so you'll be in for over two hours of music. The venue is St John's College Auditorium, St Giles' Oxford, OX1 3JP, with entry via the gate at 8 Parks Road, OX1 3PD. Tickets are £1.