NEW - season tickets for all seven concerts at Dorchester Abbey September to December 2026. offering a discount of 15% off the standard price for Front area (front pews and side chapel) and 15% off Middle area (pews) and the...

A spirited homage to Zoltán Kodály's childhood memories, Dances of Galánta (1933) is a vibrant orchestral showpiece based on 18th-century Hungarian folk music.
The Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor of 1887, was an olive branch offered to his estranged friend, the great violinist Joseph Joachim, with the cello part written for Joachim's quartet cellist, Robert Hausmann.
Beethoven's Eroica Symphony, originally dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte, whom Beethoven admired as a champion of freedom, the "Heroic" Symphony was renamed in fury when Napoleon crowned himself Emperor in 1804.

New House in Southmoor, Oxfordshire plays host to a very special afternoon of chamber music in beautiful, country house setting, delicious food and wonderful company.

The Orchestra of St. John’s is delighted to announce the launch of a chamber ensemble, designed to build on our rich history and complement our existing programmes.

The idea to create the Orchestra of St. John’s Ensemble (OSJE) grew out of the long-standing artistic partnership between violinist and OSJ leader Jan Schmolck and keyboard player Howard Moody. In broadening the Orchestra’s scope and repertoire, OSJE looks forward to developing creative opportunities for our musicians and to forging new artistic partnerships.

University of Oxford Music Faculty Collaboration

A highlight is a new three-year collaboration with the University of Oxford Music Faculty. This partnership will bring together students and OSJE musicians for workshops, masterclasses and coaching, designed to inspire musical exploration and complement academic studies.

Over its first three years, the Ensemble’s programming will focus on seminal chamber works by Bach, Beethoven and Schubert, interwoven with music by living composers and new commissions.

This evening's concert launches the Ensemble and its association with the University of Oxford Music Faculty.

The shared vision for the Orchestra of St. John’s Ensemble has been made possible through a gift from Ian and Caroline Laing, long-term supporters of OSJ. We are extremely grateful to them for their continued generosity and encouragement.