The City of Oxford Choir came into being in 1977 to celebrate Oxford’s twinning with Leiden in The Netherlands. On 8 July 2023 we will be joined by the Leiden English Choir and Thame Children's Choir for a special concert in the magnificent surroundings of the Town Hall. In the spirit of twinning and co-operation we celebrate the world, our brief custodianship of it, and the gift of it we make to our children.

The performance will feature 'Earthrise' by the contemporary British composer Alec Roth. The piece was inspired by the iconic photograph of Earth taken from Apollo 8 in 1968, which shows “our small blue planet in the vast darkness of space… its great beauty, its great vulnerability”. ”Earthrise is a fabulous choral work in three movements with the sort of poly-choral, lushly harmonised climaxes that send shivers down the spine.” Richard Morrison, The Times.

The concert will also feature the UK premiere of 'To See a World' by Hebe de Champeaux, with material inspired by reports from the observatory in Mauna Loa (Hawaii), which since 1958 has been monitoring data related to atmospheric change, alongside powerful words from William Blake’s 'Auguries of Innocence'.

The remainder of the programme includes works by John Ireland, Herbert Howells, Arvo Pärt, Jonathan Dove and Sarah Quartel.

The City of Oxford Choir, and their conductor Duncan Aspden, are joined by the Leiden English Choir, their conductor Hebe de Champeaux, Thame Children’s Choir, the cellist Annelies Scott and the organist Tim Wakerell.