Marios Papadopoulos, newly made an MBE, on how Oxford Philomusica made a dramatic recovery from a crisis in 2013

Last year was a splendid year for Oxford Philomusica with the start of our 15th anniversary celebrations, which are continuing into this year. As many readers will know, we have marked this with a series of concerts featuring major international stars, including two of the world’s foremost violinists, Nigel Kennedy and Maxim Vengerov. These have been wonderful occasions, rapturously received.

Not everything has been plain sailing though and for this, my first column of 2014, I thought I’d offer a glimpse behind the scenes. We were thrilled when, at the start of 2013, we had confirmation the superb soprano Renée Fleming would join us for a concert. Not only has Renée won four Grammy Awards and appeared in the world’s great opera houses, she has a glorious voice, impeccable artistry and captivating stage presence.

Tickets for this November concert sold out in days. A reception and dinner was planned, programmes printed, rehearsals booked, arrangements checked and rechecked. Renée arrived early and all seemed fair.

Then fate stepped in. On the preceding Saturday evening we basked in the glory of a standing ovation in the Sheldonian, at the end of the second concert of our Beethoven series, when I received a message. Ms Fleming’s daughter was seriously ill and had been admitted to hospital in the USA and, as any mother would, she wanted to be at her daughter’s bedside. She had already left Oxford and was heading home.

We entirely understood, of course, and were extremely grateful Ms Fleming had promised to replan her concert with us ASAP. In the meantime, though, we had a crisis on our hands. And just 45 hours until the concert was due to start.

Cancel the concert and, if so, could we contact everyone in time? If not, who could we get to replace our star? How could we make any of this work, and on a Sunday with so many contacts away from their desks and phones?

Once we’d decided to go ahead, the priority was to find another outstanding singer at short notice. Phone lines were red hot and stress levels high, but by Sunday we had managed to book Sylvia Schwartz, an outstanding Spanish singer who is fast becoming one of the world’s most exciting lyric sopranos.

A frantic flurry transported Sylvia from Rome to London then Oxford and on to the Vienna Staatsoper two days later. By this time, budget concerns seemed the least of our worries. Meanwhile, in the office all hands were on phones, contacting those with tickets.

A fraught day and sleepless night later, the day and then hour of the concert arrived. Despite our best efforts some turned up expecting to hear Ms Fleming and were disappointed. Most, though, were understanding once the reason had been explained and the assurance of a future concert given.

In the event, Sylvia Schwartz was a triumph. She sang beautifully and captivated the audience. We received many more compliments than complaints and all breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I will sign off by simply saying... that’s showbiz!