As well as the following special events, there is the regular service of Choral Contemplation on Sundays during term at 5.30 to which you are all most welcome:
 
Friday 7th February, 6pm-6.45pm, College Chapel
Choral Scholars' Recital
This annual event is a lovely opportunity to hear the Choral Scholars (including the Chloe and Helen Morton Scholars) of the College Choir perform as soloists, accompanied by our Organ Scholars and Margaret Irene Seymour Award holders.  The performance will include works by Bach, Händel, Schubert, Butterworth, and Elgar.
Free Entry
 
Friday 21th February, 6pm-7pm, College Chapel
Dante and the Music of Purgatory
During this interdisciplinary event, Katie Bastiman (4th year linguist and Choral Scholar) will guide us through the music of Dante’s Purgatory, looking at the psalms and hymns that Dante cites and why they are significant within the context of the poem. The College Choir will sing settings of these texts to music including MacMillan's Miserere, Howells' Collegium Regale Te Deum, and Tallis' Te Lucis ante terminum. Join us to learn about this celebrated Italian poet, and the importance of music for the structure, tone, and significance of his work.
Free entry
 
Sunday 8th March, 5.30pm-6.30pm, College Chapel
Music and Readings for Lent and the Spring
In this special event, the choirs of Lady Margaret Hall and Somerville College combine to celebrate International Women’s Day, in the 100th year of Women being allowed to graduate from Oxford.  The event will feature music by Amy Beach, Sarah Quartel, Rafaella Aleotti, Sarah MacDonald, Judith Weir and Greta Tomlins.
Free entry
 
Wednesday 11th March, 7.30pm-10pm, College Chapel
Bach: St John Passion
The biannual performance of Bach’s masterpiece is always a highlight of the college’s musical life.  Featuring the Oxford-based professional period-instrument orchestra The Instruments of Time and Truth, a professional Evangelist, and soloists from the choir, this great work is a must see event.  It tends to be very well-attended, so do please reserve your tickets as soon as you can.
 
Matthew Thomson: Evangelist
Benjamin Thompson: Christus
Arthur Landman: Pilate
Oliver John Ruthven: Continuo
The Instruments of Time and Truth
The Choir of Somerville College, Oxford
Will Dawes: Conductor
 
Tickets £10 (£5 for students) via choir@some.ox.ac.uk
 
Thursday 18th June, 7.30pm, College Chapel
Summer Concert
 
Saturday 1st May 2021, from 3.30pm, College Chapel
Choir Reunion
 
In addition to the above events, you might like to know about the following larger plans.
 
One of our ambitions is to increase the number of pieces in our repertoire by female and non-binary composers, so I’m delighted that the College has part-sponsored a major new venture from Mutitude of Voyces, who are publishing compilations of music composed by female composers.  We are performing numerous pieces from Volume 1 of this series (SATB anthems) this term and are also in discussions to be the primary sponsor of a volume of Secular music for SATB choirs
 
After our ground-breaking tour to India in December 2018, we’re heading abroad again this year, this time to Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau between the 11th and 21st July.  As in India, the trip will comprise major concerts, alumni receptions, and outreach.

It is the beginning of a new term and, exam season notwithstanding, the Choir of Somerville College has some exciting events planned. Our upcoming concerts for the next two months are as follows:
 
06/05/2019
Performance as part of the Little Clarendon Street Festival, 7.30 pm
 
07/05/2019
Organ Scholar Recital, 6pm, Somerville College Chapel
 
08/06/2019
Commemoration Service, 2.15 pm, Somerville College Chapel
 
20/06/2019
Concert (Love and Loss: Madrigals old and new), 8 pm, Somerville College Chapel
 
Additionally, we are excited to announce that our first Choir Reunion will be taking place this term on Saturday, June 22nd. This event is aimed at any former members of Somerville College Choir since 2001 and will include a concert at 5.30 pm in the College Chapel.
 
Also, anyone attending the choral and organ scholarship open day on Saturday 11/05/2019, do make sure to reach out to our Director of Chapel Music, Will Dawes, who will be running the warm-up session. He will be happy to answer any questions you might have about joining Somerville College Choir.

On Thursday at 1:15pm Robert Pecksmith (Organ Scholar) will be playing a recital on the brand-new Dobson organ at Merton Chapel. His programme will feature works by Bach, Duruflé, Vierne, Pärt and Sousa. See the Facebook event page for further details.

One day later (Friday at 1:15pm) he will be playing a piano recital at Somerville College Chapel as part of Somerville Music Society's lunchtime recital series.

On Friday at 6pm the Choir of Somerville College and Somerville Music Society will be presenting West End Favourites and Film Music, a gala concert in aid of the choir's US tour.

Members of the Choir of Somerville College, Robert Pecksmith (organ/piano) and special guest star David Crown (baritone) perform a selection of favourite show tunes and film music. The concert features extracts from The Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Cats, Star Wars and Show Boat as well as 'One Day More', the rousing finale from Act I of Les Misérables. See the Facebook event for full details of the programme.

Performers:
Ruth Akinradewo (soprano), Ian Buchanan (tenor), David Crown (baritone/conductor), Katie Jeffries-Harris (mezzo-soprano), Matt Kerr (baritone), Douglas Knight (piano). Christoph Schnedermann (bass), Stefan Schwarz (baritone), Robert Pecksmith (organ/piano), Alexandra Worrell (soprano), Emily Winkler (soprano), Orly Watson (piano)

Admission is free. There will be a retiring collection in aid of the choir's summer tour.

Nick Machin (Organ Scholar Elect), will be performing his first solo recital at Somerville Chapel on Friday at 1:15pm.

The programme includes piano works by Turina, Liszt, Debussy and Shostakovich as well as organ music by Berkeley, Stanford and Widor. Please see the Facebook event page for further details.

The recital will be part of the 150 for 150 Recital Challenge in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Royal College of Organists. Somerville will be the only Oxbridge college to contribute two events to this series: Nick Machin's Friday lunchtime recital and an evening recital featuring Robert Pecksmith (Organ Scholar) at the Auenkirche (Berlin) in August.

On Wednesday our organ scholar Robert Pecksmith will be playing a lunchtime recital on Oxford Town Hall's 1897 Father Willis organ.

The programme includes works by Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Elgar and Reger as well as Patrick Gowers and John Williams (arr. Pecksmith).

Oxford Town Hall
Lunchtime Organ Recital Series
Wednesday 19th February 2014
12:00 - 12:55pm

Tickets are £4 and come with complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits.

See his website and the Facebook event page for further details.

Robert Pecksmith will be playing a recital of rarely heard twentieth-century works on the new Kenneth Tickell organ at Keble College Chapel on Thursday evening.

The programme consists of Arvo Pärt's Annum per annum, the Adagio from Vierne's Organ Symphony No. 3 and Messiaen's L'Apparition de l'église éternelle.

Keble Chapel Compline Recital Series: Robert Pecksmith (Somerville)
Thursday 7th November 2013, 8:30pm, Keble College Chapel

Admission is free. See his website and the Facebook event page for more details.

On Tuesday our Organ Scholar Robert Pecksmith will be playing a lunchtime recital on the 1994 Walker organ at Exeter. The programme will include music by Bach, Wesley, Saint-Saëns, Vierne and Messiaen.

Exeter College Organ Recital Series: Robert Pecksmith
Tuesday 22nd October 2013, 1:10pm, Exeter College Chapel

See his website and the Facebook event page for more details.

Our Organ Scholar Robert Pecksmith is featured in an article in the Chinese edition of the New York Times: http://cn.nytimes.com/education/20130713/cc13arteducation. The text also mentions the termly Choral Scholars' Recitals organised by Somerville Music Society.

Tomorrow our Junior Organ Scholar will be playing a lunchtime recital at Harris Manchester College Chapel as part of the series The many sounds of Oxford's Organ Scholars. The programme includes works by Buxtehude, Sweelinck, Howells, Schnittke and John Williams.

HMC Lunchtime Recital: Robert Pecksmith (organ)
Thursday 13th June 2013, 1:30pm, Harris Manchester College Chapel

See his website and the Facebook event page for more details.