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

This is the second of our events in collaboration with the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum: today is also jointly presented with the Oxford Department of Psychiatry. Three fascinating speakers discuss nature, mental health, wellbeing and music, with particular reference to the poet and composer Ivor Gurney. The event will be filmed in the magical surroundings of Harcourt Arboretum and will explore how various landscapes and flora were important to Gurney and other composers.

John Geddes is Head of the Department of Psychiatry and Chris Thorogood is Deputy Director of the Botanic Garden. Kate Kennedy is Associate Director of the Oxford Centre for Life Writing: she has lectured in both English and Music, has written books on Britten and Ivor Gurney, and is currently working on a triple biography of Rupert Brooke and composers FS Kelly and William Denis Browne.

Mezzo-soprano Marta Fontanals-Simmons has had tremendous recent success at the Royal Opera and English National Opera, and was an acclaimed Cherubino for Garsington Opera’s Le Nozze di Figaro in 2017. She is joined by the outstanding American-British pianist Lana Bode, who created a brilliant and memorable recital entitled ‘Dreams’ for the 2015 Lieder Festival, and they will intersperse the event with songs.

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.