Concerts are free and open to everyone. They take place fortnightly at 8:30pm on Sunday evenings – usually in the historic Balliol Hall – but due to building works some may now be held in our beautiful Chapel. Directions via the Porters’ Lodge (main site, Broad Street entrance).
Michaelmas Term 2025
MTW2 19th October: 1959th concert
Artist: Peter Broderick
The contemporary and eclectic multi-instrumentalist gives the academic year a fresh start with a suite of original compositions and improvisations based on our wonderful Steinway.
MTW4 2nd November: 1960th concert – annual Balliol Society concert
Artist: Lubomyr Melnyk (Любомир Мельник)
The phenomenal Ukrainian pianist shares the world of “continuous music”, as the fastest pianist alive returns to England for another concert series. What was once an attempt to merge Indian classical virtuosity with the Western classical piano traditions and the emerging minimalist genre soon became its own, extraordinarily rich sound with an uniquely powerful physical technique and philosophy.
We are glad to support him for this concert and subsequent concerts in Magdalen and the Holywell Music Room on the 3rd and 4th, with his music in danger of dying due to a paucity of students.
We express our gratitude to the Balliol Society for their continuing support.
MTW6 16th November: 1961st concert – annual Ernest Walker concert
Artists: Dr. Simon Callaghan (piano) and Ruth Rodgers (violin)
An evening of Debussy, Elgar and Franck from superb chamber musicians, including some pieces composed by Balliol’s own Dr Ernest Walker from long ago.
MTW8 30th November: 1962nd concert – termly Members’ concert
Artists unknown
A warm-spirited evening of performances from Balliol Members and friends, celebrating and developing the College’s talent.
Hilary Term 2026
HTW2 25th January: 1963rd concert – annual Usborne concert
Artists: Sarah Williamson (clarinet) and Piers Lane (piano)
A masterful duo presents the Bagatelles of Finzi, Schumann’s Fantasiestücke and sonatas of John Ireland, Poulenc, and Brahms.
We express our gratitude to the Usborne family for their continuing support.
HTW4 8th February: 1964th concert – annual John Farmer concert
Artists: the Sacconi Quartet
The powerful quartet returns to Oxford to perform the marathon Beethoven “String Quartet No. 15 in A minor” (Op. 132) and gives a sneak preview of a to-be-premiered piece from the contemporary Freya Waley-Cohen.
HTW6 22nd February: 1965th concert – annual Lonsdale concert
Artists: Dr. Emilie Capulet (piano) and the Tippett Quartet
The distinguished concert pianist and active musicologist Emilie Capulet returns to Oxford and joins forces with the elite and highly distinguished Tippett Quartet, performing works of Ravel and others for a grand Roger Lonsdale memorial concert.
We express our gratitude to the Lonsdale family for their continuing support.
HTW8 8th March: 1966th concert – termly Members’ concert
Artists unknown
A warm-spirited evening of performances from Balliol Members and friends, celebrating and developing the College’s talent.
Trinity Term 2026
TTW2 3rd May: 1967th concert
Artists: Jurij Fedynskyj (Юрій Фединський) and family
The charming family of Ukrainian folk and early music musicians and folklorists return to Oxford – debuting in St Peter’s College, December 2024 – for an evening of British and Ukrainian traditional music, with an emphasis on medieval, Renaissance and Baroque period works from both nations: we will be hearing “Scarborough Fair” on instruments such as the fantastically rare kobzar and torban. Indeed, Jurij is a luthier and the family will be performing on instruments they fashioned themselves.
Jurij is one of very few musicians in the world working to resurrect the near-extinct musical and linguistic traditions of the Kobzari (blind bards) after almost all of them were massacred under Stalin in the 1930s.
TTW4 17th May: 1968th concert – termly Members’ concert
Artists unknown
A warm-spirited evening of performances from Balliol Members and friends, celebrating and developing the College’s talent.
TTW6 31st May: 1969th concert – annual Peggotty Graham concert
Artists: the Luna Piano Duo
After a fantastic performance at last year’s Lonsdale concert, Amy Butler returns to Balliol (after having studied at Lady Margaret Hall) with Graziana Presicce for a fascinating evening of “four hands” piano repertoire, giving our wonderful Steinway a new workout after Lubomyr’s energy earlier in the year.
We express our gratitude to Peggotty and Andrew Graham for their continuing support.
We welcome suggestions for the 2026-2027 academic year.