Eden in Asthall – OCMF 25th Anniversary Concert and Dinner

Join us for a weekend celebration of uplifting music and art at Asthall Manor hosted by Oxford Chamber Music Festival. The celebrations include a very special event on Saturday to mark the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Oxford Chamber Music Foundation and will include a visit to the magical gardens of Asthall Manor, a concert in the church and dinner in the Manor ballroom. Lotte Betts Dean mezzosoprano Roy Amotz flute | Claude Frochaux cello Priya Mitchell violin | Annette Walther violin Sascha Bota viola Repertoire to include Bach Goldberg Variations, Mozart Adagio from flute quartet, Vivaldi ‘Spring’ from the Four Seasons, Vivaldi ‘Concerto for Flute’, Bach Cello Suite No. 1, Takemitsu Air, John Thow Invoke the Clouds and Telemann Fantasie. Rosie Pearson has generously offered her stunning home and gardens and St. Nicholas Church, Asthall, has kindly agreed to host the concert. The evening will start with a visit to the gardens, followed by the concert and then dinner in the ballroom. ------------ This event marks the 25th Anniversary year for OCMF ahead of its autumn festival ‘Eden – Heaven Meets Earth’ from 22-27 September 2025. Eden: the origin of beauty, harmony, goodness as well as its shadow counterparts darkness and dissonance – our own affinity with Nature, the delights of creation and infinity of sounds. Paradise lost and found in the magical setting of Asthall Manor, the intriguing and majestic Jacobean house once home to the Mitford sisters, nestled in its own Eden with verdant gardens merging into the valley of the Windrush below. Visitors to our May musical celebration in Asthall church will be able to seek out its hidden pathways and secret corners among the idyllic glories of early Summer – its rolling vistas inviting us to share a unique experience of joy in nature and music. Full programme for the weekend: Friday 23 May Concert 7pm £30 – ticket includes access to the gardens from 4-6pm Saturday 24 May Practical painting and drawing workshop 11am-2pm, £70. ‘Asthall Trees - Where Heaven Meets Earth’ with Kieran Stiles. Booking through kieranstiles.com Concert 5.30pm & Dinner 6.45pm £85 Followed by reception in the Manor ballroom Sunday 25 May Concert 3pm £30 – ticket includes access to the gardens from 4-6pm The Three Horseshoes, Asthall is a perfect pre-or post-concert dining destination. ‘An event of national rather than merely local significance.’ —The Independent Oxford Chamber Music Festival GS