Eden in Asthall - Voice of Nature
Tickets £30
Join us for a weekend celebration of uplifting music and art at Asthall Manor hosted by Oxford Chamber Music Festival.
Lotte Betts Dean mezzosoprano
Roy Amotz flute | Brian O'Kane cello Priya Mitchell violin | Annette Walther violin Sascha Bota viola
Programme:
Vivaldi ‘Spring’ from The Four Seasons
Vivaldi ‘Il Gardellino’
Respighi ‘Il Tramonto’
Strauss ‘Morgen’
Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Casals Song of the Birds
Haydn String Quartet in D major Opus 64 no. 5 ‘Lark’ 1st movement
Roussel ‘Ciel, vers, vent’ for soprano and flute
Schubert ‘Im Frühling’ and ‘Heidenröslein’
John Cage Branches (1976)
The celebrations include a very special event on Saturday to mark the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Oxford Chamber Music Foundation and will include a visit to the magical gardens of Asthall Manor, a concert in the church and dinner in the Manor ballroom.
This event marks the 25th Anniversary year for OCMF ahead of its autumn festival ‘Eden – Heaven Meets Earth’ from 22-27 September 2025.
Eden: the origin of beauty, harmony, goodness as well as its shadow counterparts darkness and dissonance – our own affinity with Nature, the delights of creation and infinity of sounds.
Paradise lost and found in the magical setting of Asthall Manor, the intriguing and majestic Jacobean house once home to the Mitford sisters, nestled in its own Eden with verdant gardens merging into the valley of the Windrush below. Visitors to our May musical celebration in Asthall church will be able to seek out its hidden pathways and secret corners among the idyllic glories of early Summer – its rolling vistas inviting us to share a unique experience of joy in nature and music.
Parking is limited. Please car share if you can, or consider coming by bus. Bus instructions are here
Full programme for the weekend
Friday 23 May Concert 7pm £30 – ticket includes access to the gardens from 4-6.30pm
Saturday 24 May Practical painting and drawing workshop 11am-2pm, £70. ‘Asthall Trees - Where Heaven Meets Earth’ with Kieran Stiles. Booking through Kieran Stiles
Concert 5.30pm & Dinner 6.45pm £85 Followed by reception in the Manor ballroom
Sunday 25 May Concert 3pm £30 – ticket includes access to the gardens from 1-3pm
The Three Horseshoes, Asthall is a perfect pre-or post-concert dining destination.
The venue is an elderly building: due to this, there are many steps and uneven flooring and unfortunately the venue is not wheelchair accessible.
*A fee of £1.50 per transaction applies to bookings for this event, with exemptions for Oxford Playhouse members.
An event of national rather than merely local significanceThe Independent
