Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Since 1998, the Oxford Philharmonic has brought new and engaging interpretations to well-loved works in the classical repertoire in Oxford and beyond. It was founded by Music Director Marios Papadopoulos, who with some of the UK’s and Europe’s finest instrumental musicians has shaped the orchestra’s distinctive sound.

The Oxford Philharmonic works with some of the world’s greatest classical artists, among them Maxim Vengerov, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Martha Argerich, Sir András Schiff, Evgeny Kissin and Sir Bryn Terfel. Violinist Maxim Vengerov became the Oxford Philharmonic’s first ever Artist-in-Residence in 2013 for four seasons and since then has performed with the orchestra across the UK and recorded the violin concertos of Brahms and Sibelius.

In 2023, the orchestra celebrated its 25th anniversary with a gala concert at the Barbican, in which Vengerov played Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Other engagements during the Silver Jubilee year included concerts in Dubai and a tour of Germany and Austria, with debuts at Musikverein, Vienna and at Isarphilharmonie, Munich with soloist Martha Argerich. In the 2023/24 season, the orchestra returned to Dubai for six concerts at Dubai Opera and toured Japan, performing nine concerts to capacity audiences in four cities, including Tokyo.

The Oxford Philharmonic is committed to outreach work, with projects taking music to areas of social and economic disadvantage, hospitals, Special Educational Needs schools, and partnerships with Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. The orchestra was appointed Orchestra in Residence at the University of Oxford in 2002, the first relationship of its kind between a symphony orchestra and a higher education institution.