The Oxford University Philharmonia was founded in 1992 and ever since it has been both run and conducted entirely by students. In past years, the orchestra has performed a wide range of repertoire, including: Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Sibelius’s Symphonies 5 and 7, and an Oxford premiere of Stravinsky’s Funeral Song, to name but a few.
Each Hilary term, OUPhil includes a solo concerto in the programme. Auditions for the soloist take place in Michaelmas and past performances have been of an extremely high standard. A new conductor and leader take office in Trinity term and auditions for places in the orchestra are held by OUMS in Michaelmas.
OUPhil has a highly sociable and friendly atmosphere. In the past, OUPhil has also been abroad on tours, including a trip to Vienna in 2007, where we played Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Janacek’s A Cunning Little Vixen Suite and movements from Smetana’s Má Vlast.