Passiontide at Merton
The Passiontide at Merton 2023 festival will run from Friday 31 March to Sunday 2 April 2023
Friday 31 March
17.00 Choral Evensong
Cheryl Frances-Hoad: Merton Service
Osbert Parsley: Lamentations
Choir of Merton College
Benjamin Nicholas conductor
Saturday 1 April
11.00 Choral Matins
Charles Villiers Stanford: Benedictus in C
Edward Bairstow: The Lamentations
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Sicut cervus
Girl Choristers and Lower Voices
Benjamin Nicholas conductor
18.00 Choral Evensong
Francis Poulenc: Vinea mea electa
William Byrd: Great Service
James MacMillan: Miserere
Choir of Merton College
Benjamin Nicholas conductor
21.30 Compline
Choir of Merton College
Owen Chan conductor
Sunday 2 April
10.30 Procession and Sung Eucharist for Palm Sunday
Orlando Gibbons: Hosanna to the Son of David
Francis Grier: Osanna filio David
William Byrd: Mass for Five Voices
William Byrd: Ave verum corpus
“an unmissable event on Oxford’s musical calendar”
BBC Music Magazine
A three-day festival of concerts, talks and services, the annual Passiontide at Merton festival is a highlight of Oxford's musical year.
The first Passiontide at Merton festival took place in 2010. The festival has become a popular musical and liturgical event, attracting a large following, with many visitors staying in the College for the duration of the festival. The festival usually takes place over the Palm Sunday weekend.
Although the resident College Choir is the featured ensemble, visiting performers have included The Tallis Scholars, The Marian Consort, Oxford Baroque, Carducci Quartet, Emma Kirkby, and Elin Manahan Thomas. A number of works have been premièred at the festival, including Gabriel Jackson’s The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and Emily Levy’s In Paradisum.
Weekend residential tickets for 2023 are now sold out.
Single room for one guest £460 | Twin room for two guests £780 including:
- Tickets and reserved seats for all festival events
- Breakfast, lunch, and the Festival dinner on Saturday
- Breakfast and lunch on Sunday
- A drinks reception with the artists on Sunday evening
Non-residential festival tickets:
£225 including:
- Tickets and reserved seats for all festival events
- Lunch and the festival dinner on Saturday
- Lunch on Sunday
- A drinks reception with the artists on Sunday evening