The Royal Opera: Britten's War Requiem begins at 7:00pm. The War requiem is one of Britten’s most powerful works, born out of his fiercely held pacifism. Composed at the height of the Cold War, it spoke directly to a nation living under the threat of nuclear war. The work mixes powerful settings of the poems of Wilfred Owen, describing the horrors of war, with the words of the Requiem mass, and ultimately offers the hope of reconciliation. No tenor is more associated with Britten’s music at the moment than Ian Bostridge, heard here alongside the warm baritone of Simon Keenlyside and leading young soprano Emma Bell.

Off by Heart:  I enjoyed judging regional heats of this competition. Good luck to all the contestants as they read in the final at the Sheldonian on 5th April at 2pm (Oxford Literary Festival event). This event is being recorded for BBC2 and will be hosted by Jeremy Paxman. I've been given a ticket and would love to be there to cheer Owain on and hope to be there to wish all the contestants good luck but I'm not sure if I can juggle this with the Symphony Hall event on the same day.  If I can't make it to the recording - 'Good luck to everyone and have a great day!'

Mozart's Requiem: Sing-a-long. Rehearsals all day.    Concert begins at 7.30pm.

Past Events:

Julie Boden and Katrice Horsley to perform extracts from 'Pretty Maid Ibronka'  www.radiowildfire.com Monday 2nd February 8.00-10.00 pm (UK time).   Julie Boden and Katrice Horsley will be giving us live extracts from their retelling of Pretty Maid Ibronka, a maid and the Devil tale.  In this new work, Katrice's storytelling mixes with Julie's verse to explore the desire for love and the need to be loved – a National Storytelling Week special!