29. The Story of the Rose

15 October 2020, 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Presented in association with TORCH, with support from the Humanities Cultural Programme, and the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum

The rose has been a symbol in poetry and song, in varying guises, since time immemorial. We look at some of these appearances from Purcell to the present day, linking them to wider cultural representations and learning about their botanical characteristics.

Laura Tunbridge, Professor of Music at St Catherine’s College, explores a selection of songs by Purcell, Schubert, Fauré, Grieg and others, looking at roses in themes of love, Christianity, Orientalism, and death. Simon Hiscock, Director of the Botanic Garden, illuminates the botanical history of the rose, explains hybridization and how it is possible for the Botanic Garden to ‘commission’ a new rose for its 400th anniversary in 2021.

British-Australian soprano Lauren Lodge-Campbell is fast establishing a reputation as a thrilling young singer, with numerous prizes and impressive engagements already to her name. We’re especially delighted to welcome her back to the Festival as she attended our Mastercourse in 2016, studying with Wolfgang Holzmair. She is joined by pianist Dylan Perez, who is already in great demand as an outstanding song pianist and is a former Oxford Lieder Young Artist.

JOIN IN:
The talk and music for this event will be pre-recorded, but will be introduced live by our speakers, who will also be available to answer any questions at the end. During the event, please email any questions (songconnections@oxfordlieder.co.uk) or post them on social media (#OLF2020), and we will answer as many as time allows.