Mosaic on the facade of Bremen Cathedral showing the crucifixion of Christ - Photo: © Joaquim Alves Gaspar, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Passiontide at Merton

The Passiontide at Merton 2023 festival will run from Friday 31 March to Sunday 2 April 2023

View the 2023 brochure here! 

Services

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

The festival

“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.

Festival tickets

    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