Nicola Lisle looks forward to the weekend’s opening of Oxford Proms

Just when you thought there was a dearth of classical music in Oxford, along comes the Oxford Proms to fill in the gap before the autumn season swings into action.

It’s a niche that this concert series has been filling rather neatly since its formation five years ago by violinist Edmund Jones, who played with the Northern Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and West Riding String Quartet before retiring and settling in Oxfordshire in 2005.

So how did the Oxford Proms come into being? “It started off with a concert in the Holywell with some fellow musicians,” he says. “We just wanted to put a concert on, and make a parallel with music and architecture. It so happened that the place was packed with architecture students. It was a bit like gambling and winning the jackpot and then getting rather hooked on it!”

This year’s series opens at the Sheldonian on Saturday and features soprano Julia Kogan, who recently dazzled audiences as Fiordiligi in Oxford Philomusica’s Cosi fan tutte.

“I particularly wanted someone who could sing the spectacular arias of The Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute,” Edmund explains. “The Queen of the Night is a special sort of coloratura whereby you don’t just sing the high notes, you also have the intensity of the lower notes. It’s not an easy role to sing. With Julia Kogan I think we’ve found somebody who does very good dramatic interpretations so I’m looking forward to that.”

Julia herself is equally enthusiastic. “It’s one of my absolute favourite roles, the role I’ve sung the most often,” she tells me. “I think I’ve performed it close to thirty times. The arias are just stunning.”

It’s not all dramatic coloratura, though – there will be some quieter moments too. “I’ve added one of my favourite arias, Dvorak’s Song to the Moon from Rusalka. After the violence of the Queen of the Night, this will take the audiences into a lovely, poetic calm song to the moonlight, which I think is one of the most beautiful melodies in any aria in the entire operatic canon.

“I’m also doing O Mio Babbino Caro, which is a favourite Puccini aria that I’m sure people will have heard even if they’ve never been to the opera.”

The concert opens with a new fanfare for woodwind, brass and percussion by local composer Tim Perkins. A Veil of Crimson and Blue is a biblical reference to the temple of Solomon and ties in with the following item, Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba.

The programme also includes Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Gluck’s Orfeo, the Adagio from Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, the Intermezzo from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Mozart’s Paris Symphony.

The season continues next week with Chaconne – The Bach Code, an exploration of the mysteries of Bach’s great masterpiece with Edmund and pianist Ning Pookhaothong.

The final concert sees the return of international pianist Mami Shikimori, a regular performer at the Oxford Proms. Her programme will include Beethoven’s Appassionata and Chopin’s 24 Preludes.

“Mami has built up quite a following, so I thought it would be nice for her to give a full recital in the Sheldonian,” says Edmund. “It’s a programme of passion and poetry, so hopefully that will attract a big audience.”

Where & When
Sheldonian Theatre and St Michael at the Northgate
Saturday 15, 22 & 29 August, 7.30pm
oxfordproms.co.uk (2 for 1 ticket offer available)