Anything with the word ‘Proms’ in its title breathes promise of an exciting musical feast, and the Oxford Proms, established in 2011, certainly tick all the right boxes.

From just two concerts in its first two years, the Oxford Proms series has now expanded into a ten-day jamboree with three major concerts in the Sheldonian and a further four ‘fringe’ recitals at the Holywell Music Room. Together they offer a rich variety of music.

“It has everything from classical to world music,” says pianist Ning Pookhaothong, who will be giving one of the recitals at the Holywell.

“The idea was to involve as many Oxfordshire-based musicians as possible, to get their varied and innovative ideas. There’s lots of great musicians based around Oxford.”

Ning and his wife, fellow pianist Mami Shikimori, live in Abingdon and have been involved with the Oxford Proms since its inception.

This year, Mami follows up her previous, critically-acclaimed Sheldonian concerts with another appearance this year, at which she will be joined by the Oxford Proms Orchestra to perform Grieg’s Piano Concerto. Other gems in the same concert include familiar favourites Lark Ascending, The Swan, Greensleeves and Offenbach’s irresistible Can Can.

Also making a welcome return to Oxford is international clarinet virtuoso Michael Collins who, together with pianist Michael McHale, will present a selection of BBC Proms favourites including Brahms Sonata No.2 and many other classical ‘lollipops’. Three days later he joins the Oxford Proms Orchestra to perform probably one of the best-loved clarinet pieces of all time, Mozart’s sublime Clarinet Concerto. The orchestra will also play Haydn’s glorious Symphony No.104, the ‘London’.

For all three concerts, the conductor will be John Traill, well known locally for conducting the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra but also in demand in the UK and overseas.

“Michael Collins was very happy to come back to the Sheldonian, as he has fond memories of playing there,” Ning tells me. “I think his first concert will be a very varied and exciting programme, so it is going to be like a Classic FM Hall of Fame.

“I believe he is also going to talk to the audience about the music and introduce the pieces he’s going to play.”

The Holywell concerts offer some contrasting musical styles, starting with the folk- and world music-inspired Oxford Mappa Mundi, while the Oxford Trobadors make a welcome return with their repertoire of music inspired by Occitan, a medieval language and culture still in existence in some parts of Europe.

Ning’s recital is a celebration of piano classics by Beethoven and Schumann, while mezzo-soprano Rosie Aldridge — recently seen as Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance at the New Theatre — will give a recital of British music, including Lark Ascending in its original version. She will be joined by violinist Edmund Jones and pianist Simon Lepper.

It’s a wonderfully diverse prog-ramme, so it should have something to please everyone.

As Ning puts it: “A lot of thought has gone into it to try and make it sound interesting and to include as many forms of music as possible.”

 

Oxford Proms
Sheldonian Theatre & Holywell Music Room
August 7–10
Visit oxfordproms.co.uk