News & Features
The Towns and Cities of J. S. Bach
In this newsletter, we explore the cities and towns where Bach took up residence and composed his great cantatas. Eisenach Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685, a small town in Thuringia, Germany. He was the seventh and youngest child of Johann Ambrosius...
Choral Scholar Focus: Emily Brown Gibson
Tell us a bit about yourself, and your training to date? I grew up in Toronto, Canada and at the age of four was handed a tissue-box-and-stick-makeshift-violin, which was my first introduction to classical music. The box eventually turned into a real violin, which I...
Bach’s Band: The Harpsichord
Find out more about some of the instruments played by our ensemble in our new series, Bach's Band. Our latest newsletter is by Anhad Arora on the harpsichord! What are the essential features and sound of the harpsichord? The harpsichord is a member of an extended...
Bach’s Band: The Viola Da Gamba
Find out more about some of the instruments played by our ensemble in our new series, Bach's Band. Our latest newsletter is by Susie Heinrich on the viola da gamba! What are the essential features and sound of the viola da gamba? From a broad evolutionary perspective,...
Choral Scholar Focus: James Jenkins
Tell us a bit about yourself, and your training to date? For me, it all started with years of to-ing and fro-ing from school with only my Mum, sister, and the complete works of ABBA for company. The transition from back-seat dancing queen to cassocked chorister didn’t...
Choral Scholar Focus: Tom Lowen
Tell us a bit about yourself, and your training to date? I started singing aged 8 as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and have practically been speaking in recitative ever since. I masqueraded as a violinist for a few years while I made the transition from highest...
Bach’s Band: The Horn
Find out more about some of the instruments played by our ensemble in our new series, Bach's Band. Our latest newsletter is by Anneke Scott on the horn! What are the essential features and sound of the horn? Whenever I think of the horn of Bach’s time, the lines of...
Bach’s Band: The Flute
OBS offers people like me the platform to work intensively on solo singing in a supportive environment, and I believe it will have a fundamental impact on how a whole generation of young Oxford singers will develop
Choral Scholar Focus: Aimee Presswood
Tell us a bit about yourself, and your training to date? I studied Music at the University of Manchester and then did a Masters in singing at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. I perform as a choral singer and a soloist in a range of oratorio and opera, and also enjoy...
Q&A with our Artistic Director, Tom Hammond-Davies
What have been your highlights so far in 2019 with OBS? One of my highlights this year was discovering the unique Cantata 152 Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn (Walk on the path of faith) scored for recorder, viola d’amore, viola da gamba, and oboe. Mark Baigent...