The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, with Marios Papadopoulos, Aliki Chrysochou, Robin Bailey and the Oxford Philharmonic Choir, shows how classical music can embrace popular styles.
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra are at The Sheldonian Theatre on Thursday 17 June 2027, with the concert starting at 19:30. It's the season closer, and the programme centres on two of the 20th century's biggest names in music: George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein.
Both men built their reputations on the same basic idea—that classical music could be revitalised by embracing popular styles. Gershwin brought the syncopation and swing of jazz into the concert hall, and Bernstein did something similar, drawing on the energy of Broadway and the rhythms of the street. The evening puts them side by side, so you can hear how they each worked with that crossover, and how they both managed to keep one foot in the classical tradition while the other was firmly in the popular world.
It's not just the orchestra on stage. The Oxford Philharmonic Choir joins in, and the programme features four soloists: Marios Papadopoulos, Aliki Chrysochou, Robin Bailey, and the choir. Having voices alongside the orchestra means the night will cover a fair bit of ground, from the instrumental side of things to the more vocal, song-led side of both composers.
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It's a Thursday night in the city centre, so it's an easy one to get to without needing to plan your whole evening around it. The Sheldonian is a great spot for this kind of thing, and with the orchestra and choir both on the bill, it's a full-scale evening rather than a small chamber set. The concert starts at 19:30.
