SHIPSTON SONG 2026
SHIPSTON SONG 2026 LAUNCH CONCERT
ROOTS AND EVER GREEN
3.30pm, Sunday 3 May 2026
Photo credit: Patrick Allen
Finzi Farewell to Arms (arr. tenor, viola & piano)
Bednall The Mower
Vaughan Williams Four Hymns
plus works by Rebecca Clarke and John Dowland
James Gilchrist tenor | Shiry Rashkovsky viola | Ian Tindale piano
Acclaimed tenor James Gilchrist returns to Shipston Song for this special one-off recital to launch our 2026 season. James performs some of his trademark English song by Gerald Finzi, Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Dowland and Rebecca Clarke, with words by Robert Bridges, Andrew Marvell, and George Peel. He is joined by Artistic Director Ian Tindale and viola player Shiry Rashkovsky for this programme of pastoral music perfect for a spring afternoon. You’ll also be the first to hear details of our September programmes, and you’ll be able to buy tickets and hear more about supporting the festival.
Duration: c.60 minutes
SHIPSTON SONG 2026 18 - 20 SEPTEMBER
FULL PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED 4 MAY
THE VENUE
All our events at this year’s festival will be taking place at the beautifully restored St Kenelm’s Church, Church Enstone, OX7 4NN - just 10 minutes’ drive from Chipping Norton, and 25 minutes from Shipston-on-Stour. The train station at Charlbury is just 12 minutes away by car.
The special acoustics, elegant surroundings, and modern facilities make this venue the perfect location for our first season away from Famington Farm, and we know our audiences will love this peaceful and intimate space. Our e-tickets come with full directions to this beautiful corner of the world, including details of roadside parking available and places to eat and stay while you're in the area.
PAST CONCERTS
SHIPSTON SONG 2025
Robert Schumann | Dvořák | Barber Katie Bray
Ireland | Waley-Cohen | Vaughan Williams Roderick Williams
Brahms | Schubert | Mendelssohn Maryam Wocial, Angelina Dorlin-Barlow, Guy Elliott, James Emerson & Matthew Clemmet
SHIPSTON SONG 2024
Beethoven | Ravel | Samuel James Atkinson & Ellen Pearson
Bronsart | Dove | Grieg Bethany Horak-Hallett & Eyra Norman
Fauré | Hahn | Britten | Wallen Ruby Hughes & Redmond Sanders
SHIPSTON SONG 2023
Nadia & Lili Boulanger | Rachmaninoff | Tippett Laurence Kilsby & Henna Mun
Fanny Mendelssohn | Stenhammar | Mahler Helen Charlston & Sam Hird
Finzi | Semple | Boyle Roderick Williams, Dafydd Jones & Francesca Lauri
SHIPSTON SONG 2022
Alberga | Brahms | Schumann | Rodney Bennett Julien Van Mellaerts & Annabel Kennedy
Lang | Brahms | Mendelssohn Harriet Burns & Jess Dandy
Vaughan Williams | Clarke | Hilder Miles James Gilchrist, Daniel Barrett, Ensemble Kopernikus
“We were taken on a wonderful journey through her life and work. Stunningly performed, as we knew it would be, but the music itself was a revelation to us.”
— audience member