Leonidas Kavakos

Leonidas Kavakos takes the stage at the Sheldonian Theatre on Saturday 12 December, playing with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. It's a bit of a double act: Kavakos is both the soloist and the conductor, so he'll be leading the orchestra from the violin for the first half and then stepping away from the instrument to conduct the second.

The first half is Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216, which is often called the most intimate and adventurous of Mozart's violin concertos. After that, Kavakos puts down the violin to lead the orchestra through Brahms's Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98, Brahms's final orchestral work. It's a piece that looks back at old musical forms but comes out sounding fresh, virile and emotionally authentic.

The evening is part of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra's 2026/27 season, led by Music Director Marios Papadopoulos. The OPO has been around since 1998 and has become one of Oxford's most visible professional music organisations, pairing international soloists with work alongside schools, students and young musicians, and touring beyond the city to London, New York, Rome, Berlin, Athens and Istanbul.

The main concert starts at 19:00, with a pre-concert Young Artists' Platform recital at 18:00 if you want to arrive early and catch some younger players before the main event. Tickets are £20, £35, £45 and £65, with student prices starting from £5.