Welcome
Here you can find all the information about Keble College Music Society; from the Keble-Wadham Orchestra to Open Mic nights in the bar, we support all kinds of music and provide a wide array of great services for both Keble students and alumni. Read on to find out more!
We run a series of professional concerts throughout the year, as well as internal recitals and gigs in the bar. We also run a termly Warden's Recital (an opportunity for anyone to show off their talent) as well as the Freshers' Recital, held early in Michaelmas for freshers to perform and meet other musical performers in their own year.
There are many large groups: Keble College Chapel Choir sing two weekly services and tour regularly outside Oxford, Keble-Wadham Orchestra rehearse once a week and put on a concert each term. There is also a Jazz Band, and the Choral Society, all of which are non-auditioning opportunities to get involved with college music. Keble also has several pianos and a harpsichord, click here for more information and to apply for permission to practise on them. The college bar and sound-proof music room also have access to drum kits which are available for bands to practise.
KCMS is eager to help anyone wanting to set up their own music group and will provide free sheet music for ensembles as well as opportunities for performances. Any student interested in forming such a group should contact the Ensembles Manager Angela Sheard (ensembles@keblemusic.co.uk) for help with locating musicians, practice rooms, music or anything else you need to get your group off the ground.
There are eight Choral Scholarships available to the value of £100 a year, including free singing lessons. Choral scholars will sing in the choir and have the chance to perform solos. The college also offers a limited number of Instrumental Scholarships each year, covering music tuition fees to a maximum of £150 per year. Auditions for the scholarships take place early in Michaelmas term and are open to both graduate and undergraduate freshers. Those interested should perform roughly fifteen minutes of music, in the form of two or more contrasting pieces, and be prepared to discuss their musical interests. For more information about this or anything to do with music at Keble, contact the President, Owen Campbell-Moore (owen.campbell-moore@keble.ox.ac.uk).
Owen Campbell-Moore,
KCMS President
Information
Amplified music practise
The room behind the bar is the only approved venue for bands using amplifiers to practise within Keble; it also houses the drum kit and is approved for storage of musical equipment. The music room was designed as a space for small recitals and chamber music; over the past couple of years the use has changed but this caused problems in that a) the piano in there was frequently unavailable when bands were practising; b) the room was frequently left in an untidy state with furniture moved about at random and not returned to its correct location; c) there were frequent contraventions of the no eating policy. Now that the harpsichord is housed there it is important for insurance reasons that only known and approved keyboard players have access (even if they are simply going in to practise the piano). This decision has been made by the Bursar and is the final decision at this point. To apply for permission to use the bar please fill out the application form and submit it to the pidge of Bryony Thomas.
Subsidised music lessons
The society offers subsidised piano lessons with a Royal College of Music teacher, Lynette Stulting. For more information on how to apply for these lessons please contact Owen Campbell-Moore.
Events
Below is the provisionary term-card for Hilary. Please click the bar above to sign up to the mailing list and keep up to date with changes of date or venue.
Scott Ellaway Talk
Friday of 4th Week, February 10th, 6pm, Music Room
Welsh-born conductor Scott Ellaway is representative of a new generation of conductors and music directors; a graduate of the University of Oxford and a former student of the late Vernon Handley, Jorma Panula, and Colin Metters (Royal Academy of Music), Ellaway was recently ranked as one of the UK's Top 10 emerging conducting talent by BBC Music Magazine following a string of critically acclaimed performances.
Jazz Night
Sunday of 5th Week, February 12th, 8:30pm, Keble Bar
Kicking off Arts Week 2012 this evening in the Keble Bar will feature music from the new Keble College Big Band as well as the Keble College Saxophone Quartet.
Wardens Recital
Friday of 6th week, February 24th, 6pm, Music Room
If you would like to perform in this recital, or just want to get on the good side of the Warden, please contact Kirsty Mackay (kirsty.mackay@keble.ox.ac.uk). If you need an accompanist, please e-mail either Richard Dawson (richard.dawson@keble.ox.ac.uk) or Leonard Sanderman (leonard.sanderman@keble.ox.ac.uk) in good time.
Dick Sanderman
Saturday of 6th Week, February 25th, 8pm, Keble Chapel
Dutch organist and composer Dick Sanderman comes to perform a selection of Dutch organ music spanning four centuries, including Sweelinck, the first of the high baroque composers and greatest of all Dutch composers, a number of nineteenth and twentieth century works, as well as some of his own organ music. Sanderman is one of the most played and respected Dutch composer for organ due to his proficiency in a wide variety of historical styles while simultaneously developing his own style. His contribution to the "New Handbook for the Church Organist" was significant, and he was the first composer to publish two volumes with preludes and accompaniments to the entire Genevan Psalter. Alongside that, he has composed many works for organ, voice, and choir, as well as various combinations of instruments, and is also one of the composers working on the New Dutch Hymnal (to be published 2013).
Sietze de Vries
Tuesday of 7th Week, February 28th, 8pm, Keble Chapel
Internationally acclaimed improviser Sietze de Vries, who won fifteen prizes at various national and international competitions for both repertoire and improvisation, comes to Keble to do an improvisation recital which will feature style-copies from various periods as well as contemporary improvisation; it promises to be a very special event. Aside from his international concert career, Sietze also teaches. He holds a position as Visiting Professor at Collegedale University (USA) and teaches improvisation at the International Summer Organ Academy at Montreal (CA). His teaching is geared towards propagating the historic trade of improvisation, giving master classes and lectures on organ courses and universities in many European countries and the United States.
Wadham-Keble Orchestra
Thursday of 8th Week, 8:30pm, Holywell Music Room
The Orchestra will be performing Mozart ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ and Haydn Symphony 34.
Scholarships
As part of encouraging music-making within college, each year Keble offers a music scholarship of £200 a year to one student who excels in music performance and will contribute to the musical life of the college through working with the society and performing regularly in recitals.
Auditions will be early in Michaelmas term, so incoming Freshers who are interested in applying should prepare two contrasting pieces to perform for an audition.
Ensembles
Keble College is one of the most musically active colleges in Oxford, with a wide variety of ensembles for Keble students to join.
Keble College Chapel Choir
Twice every week the vast neo-gothic splendour of the Chapel of Keble College, Oxford is filled with the sound of arguably one of the best mixed voice choirs in Oxford. Also one of the friendliest, Keble welcomes singers from throughout the University.
The choir tours regularly; the past few years has seen the Choir tour to the US, Japan and Korea.
The fixed weekly routine consists of services on Wednesday and Sunday evenings with a rehearsal before each service and an additional one on Fridays. Choir events outside this routine include weddings, gaudies, concerts and a roof service on Ascension Day morning. There is also a busy social element to the choir with several parties, dinners and bar trips.
The Choir also has many commitments outside the college, regularly performing around the country in Cathedrals and in the various college parishes. The Choir has been heard on Radio 3 and Classic FM and has recorded with Priory Records.
Keble-Wadham Orchestra
Keble-Wadham Orchestra was formed fresh in 2010 and has already enjoyed the success of multiple concerts in the wonderful Holywell Music Room.
The ensemble is good fun and players of all standards are welcome!
For more information about joining the Keble-Wadham Orchestra please contact its conductor William Perry (william.perry@keble.ox.ac.uk).
Keble College Big Band
This year marks the return of the Keble College Big Band! The band is for those people who prefer their jazz, in the past it has performed regularly in and out of college to a very good standard.
If you're looking for a way to make friends from all years while making high quality music, then be sure to come along!
For more information about the Big Band please contact Rob Barker (robert.barker).
Choral Society
For those of you who enjoy singing but don't feel up to joining the chapel choir, the Choral Society is the perfect group. The society puts on a single concert a year and in the past has mounted successful performances of Mozart's Requiem and Handel's Messiah.
The society is for singers of all abilities and is always very good fun.
For more information about the Choral Society please contact Kirsty Mackay (kirsty.mackay@keble.ox.ac.uk).
Other ensembles
Keble houses a multitude of smaller ensembles and KCMS provides free music for any Keble ensembles! Feel free to set up your own or find an existing one to get involved in!
For more information about joining a smaller ensemble or setting one up please contact the KCMS Ensembles officer Angela Sheard (angela.sheard@keble.ox.ac.uk).
Facilities
Thanks to the continued support of the college, Keble Association and former members there are a number of practice facilities available to KCMS members.
All of these rooms are bookable for members who have applied for permission, which can be done so by filling in this form.
The Music Room in the Sloane Robinson building houses a grand piano, an upright piano and a Harpsichord.
The West Vestry houses an upright piano and the Pusey room also houses an upright piano.
Keble Chapel houses a brand new Organ which is also available for practise. For permission to use the organ in the Chapel please contact the Music Fellow Simon Whalley (simon.whalley@keble.ox.ac.uk).
The college also houses a grand piano in the O'Reilly Theatre, but due to external bookings this is only available for performances during specific weeks in the term. Contact the President for more details.
Approved Ensembles can make use of the College Bar (containing a drum kit and electric keyboard) at certain times. If you would like to use these facilities please contact either the President (individuals) or the Ensembles Manager (groups).
Music Library
Keble College is fortunate enough to be able to purchase music for all of it's ensembles.
All of these past purchases are stored in the College Library - for access or to request new music, please contact Owen Campbell-Moore (owen.campbell-moore@keble.ox.ac.uk).
