Nicola Lisle on the legends appearing at the international piano series, opening next week

When you have piano legends like John Lill keen to come and play at your venue, you know you must be doing something right.

This is certainly the case with St John the Evangelist Church, whose glorious Steinway piano and stunning acoustics inspired the creation of an international piano series last year.

The series proved so popular with performers and audiences that organizers SJE Arts were keen to do it all again — and this year it’s even bigger and better.

“Last year’s series went really well,” says Michele Smith, who runs SJE Arts with assistant Sally Doyle. “We were thrilled, and it’s such a lovely thing to do.

“I was going to limit this one and perhaps do seven concerts instead of nine, but we’ve ended up doing ten! When really exciting things come up you don’t want to turn them down!”

John Lill, whose career spans almost six decades, is perhaps the biggest name in the line-up.

“We’re really delighted to have him,” says Michele. “He’ll be doing the Beethoven Piano Sonata in C Minor, which is super because it’s not often performed and it’s beautiful.

“Also, we’ve asked Ulrich Gerhartz, the director of Steinway, to come and give a talk before the concert about why Steinways are so special.”

But the piano series is not just about legends; it is also about showcasing young talent. Kicking off the series on January 22 is the extraordinarily virtuosic young pianist Benjamin Grosvenor, a former winner of the BBC Young Musician Competition who has since played with some of the world’s leading orchestras — and he’s still only 22.

His recital will include pieces by Rameau, Bach-Busoni, Franck, Chopin and Granados. Next month there is an opportunity to discover another remarkable talent when the Japanese-born, Russian-trained pianist Maki Sekiya comes to the SJE with the world premiere of Incarnation 2, written for her by Japanese composer Satoh.

Another name that might be unfamiliar to some is that of Italian pianist Victor Sangiorgio, who brings a mixed programme ranging from Beethoven, Liszt and Cimarosa to Gershwin and John Cage.

Local favourite Tom Poster appears later in the season, in a programme of Beethoven, Schumann, Ravel and McCabe, while SJE and Adderbury Ensemble regular Viv McLean makes a welcome return in June to play pieces by Bach, Liszt and Chopin.

And it’s not just about classical music — there’s jazz too, including a Duke Ellington tribute with the Buck Clayton Legacy Band, and an evening of jazz improvisations from Wayne Marshall, who is probably best known as an organist and conductor.

Former teacher/pupil duo Nigel Clayton and Francesca Leonardi feature towards the end of the season, which is brought to a grand finale on July 2 by another local favourite, Oxford Lieder Festival founder Sholto Kynoch.

“It’s really building on the strength of last year’s series,” says Michele. “I think it’s fantastic that these people come to us, because for them it’s a tiny audience, but they enjoy the intimacy of something this size.

“Also, the word has got around about what a lovely acoustic it’s got and what a lovely piano it is, which I think helps a lot.”

SJE Arts International Piano Series
St John the Evangelist Church, Iffley Road, Oxford
January 22-July 2 at 7.30pm
Further information and tickets: sje-oxford.org/events/tickets