Oxford’s premier mixed voice choir

Oxford Sings: Carmina Burana

We are thrilled to be involved in the launch of the Cultural Programme at the new Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities at the University of Oxford on July 4th 2026. In the morning, a concert brings together students from across Oxfordshire as part of our Schools Choral Programme, which supports music-making and choral singing in local schools. Expect a wide-ranging programme of music, classical, contemporary and a few surprises, all performed by the next generation of singers in Oxford.

During the afternoon members of the Oxford Bach Choir will join students from the Schools Choral Programme as well as Merton College Choir and the BBC Singers for an informal concert in the Grand Hall of the Schwarzman Centre.

The day-long celebration culminates in a joint concert in the stunning new Sohmen Concert Hall where Merton College Choir, the Oxford Bach Choir and Conductor Benjamin Nicholas bring Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana to life. From the thunderous opening of O Fortuna, a movement that’s become iconic in film, television, and popular culture, Carl Orff’s cantata grabs hold and doesn’t let go. Based on medieval poems that celebrate the fortune, fate and unpredictability of life, Carmina Burana is both ancient and modern, and irresistibly theatrical.