Day of Psalms: Alumni Talk

Professor Wes Williams is taking the stage at the Schwarzman Centre on Saturday 28 November, as part of the Day of Psalms programme. He's a Professor of French Literature and a Tutor in Modern Languages, and the talk he's giving is titled Renaissance Psalms: tradition, translation, and contestation.

It's a look at how the Psalms sat at the heart of the creativity, change, and conflict of the early modern period. Williams walks through the key interventions that shaped them across the early modern world — translation, commentary, and adaptation — and how those different versions reflected the tensions of the time. If you've ever wondered how a single set of ancient poems could be pulled in so many different directions by the people reading and rewriting them, this is exactly where that conversation happens.

The session is for Oxford alumni only, and it kicks off with a welcome drink before the talk begins. The talk itself runs until 4pm, so it's a late-afternoon thing rather than an evening one. It's just one part of a wider Day of Psalms programme at the centre, which also includes Tehillim by the Colin Currie Group.

One practical thing to keep in mind: this ticket is for the alumni talk only. It doesn't include admission to the Aurora Orchestra: Bernstein & Bach performance, which you'll need to book separately if you're planning on that too. The talk is in Seminar Room 00.056 at the Schwarzman Centre, starting at 3pm on 28 November.