Somerville College Chapel

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Somerville College Chapel

Oxford's only non-denominational chapel, 'a house of prayer for all people'

25/10/2024

This evening at 6pm! Free entry

09/06/2024

Come to our final choral contemplation of term, tonight in the chapel at 5:30pm celebrating our leavers! ✨

02/06/2024

Really looking forward to our annual Pride Contemplation, today in the chapel at 5:30pm. The service is entirely student-led and promises to be a moving and joyful combination of poems, music and students' own reflections on the theme of 'Belonging' ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

26/05/2024

Tonight, Conroy Harris will speak about 'Rites of Passage and Seasons of Life'. Conroy is CEO of ‘abandofbrothers’, a UK-wide organisation which works with men who were part of the criminal justice system. He holds a commitment to supporting the well-being of men, helping individuals to define their own narratives of hope and empowerment within the context of responsibility and service to their communities. His reflections are situated in our weekly seasonal offering of Hemant//Winter by Vanraj Bhatia (our final choral piece sung by the choir in Hindi of term!) with other works by Craig Hella Johnson and Charles Wood. Poems this week by Robert Hayden and Wallace Stevens 😊

19/05/2024

In tonight's contemplation, we'll be joined by Fahad Zuberi, who will be coming to speak on the title ‘My Roof and the Monsoon’. His words will also be joined with choral music by Vanraj Bhatia centering the season of Shishir//Harvest, a piece by Maurice Greene, and one by Will Dawes himself. Poems this week in Hindi by Kedarnath Singh फसल Fasal (Harvest) and a Persian Ghazal by Rumi. Look forward to seeing you there! ☺️

12/05/2024

Join us for our choral contemplation this evening, 'Falling Leaves, Paper Houses'. The programme will centre the season of Sharad//Autumn by Vanraj Bhatia, sung in Hindi and English by our choir. We’ll also have choral pieces by Franck, Alexander, and Vaughan Williams. Poetry this week in Spanish and English, by Patrick Rosal, Roque Dalton, and Olav Hauge. A perfect way to spend a sunny evening! 🌞

05/05/2024

Today's Choral Contemplation in the chapel at 5:30pm will feature Dr. Rosie Canning, a researcher working in and with the care-experienced community. Her offering is titled: 'Seasons, Homes and Hiraeth in Muswell Hill'. Combined with choral music by Bhatia in Hindi, as well as Carissimi and Elgar. Poems and words in Welsh and English, with Jeanette Winterson and Elan Mererid Rhys.

21/04/2024

Join us for 'Holding Homes, Shifting Seasons', our first choral contemplation of the term today in the chapel at 5:30pm! ✨

18/02/2024

For tonight's contemplation, we will be joined by Dr Aaron Maniam, who has brought a deeply interfaith, poetic, and holistic approach to his public and professional life. His offering will be combined with music by Felix Mendelssohn, Ken Burton and the choir's own Louis Benneyworth. We’ll also have readings in Arabic and English ✨ Hope to see you there!

11/02/2024

Tonight's contemplation will centre around 'Hope in Dark Times' - join us as usual in the chapel at 5:30pm! We’ll have choral music composed by Franz Joseph Haydn, Jan Sweelinck, Robert Lucas Pearsall, and Somerville Choir's very own Christopher Churcher ❤️ Poems are by Ellen Bass, Zheng Xiaoqiong and Danez Smith

04/02/2024

Please join us for our joint contemplation today with the Choir of Abingdon and St Helen and St Katherine Schools, entitled 'Hope is the Thing with Feathers'. There will be music by Willan, Stanford, Loach, Gibbons, and Quartel along with poems and a prayer in Mandarin, English, Malay, and German ✨

14/01/2024

Here is the term card for our upcoming contemplations this term! We hope you're able to join us for our first one tonight at 5:30pm ✨

18/11/2023

Tomorrow's contemplation will be with ko ko thett, who calls himself a poet of no place, a transnational poet, as opposed to a poet of place, a national poet. He was born in Burma, but he has no idea what Burmeseness entails — the untenable notion of Burmeseness/Myanmarness is a theme he explores in The Burden of Being Burmese(Zephyr, 2015). From 2012 to 2020, ko ko thett was country editor for Myanmar at Poetry International, and from 2017 to 2022, poetry editor for Mekong Review. His work in poetry translation has been recognized with an English PEN award. Bamboophobia has been shortlisted for the 2022 Walcott Prize. He currently lives in Norwich, UK.

06/11/2023

Concert in celebration of Diwali in the chapel tonight!! It will feature a performance of the Triumph of Light by storyteller Vayu Naidu and genre-spanning violinist Alice Barron, who also lectures at Somerville.

04/11/2023

Here is the term card detailing our series of choral contemplations this term! Looking forward to seeing everyone at our 5th contemplation tomorrow with Ally Stott ☺️

03/11/2023

Hello! Welcome to Somerville College Chapel, the only non-denominational chapel of the Oxford colleges. Founded in 1935 by Emily Kemp, it was intended to be 'a house of prayer for all people', as the Greek inscription above the entrance reads. We provide a space for people of all faiths and none, especially in our weekly 'choral contemplations' which happen every Sunday at 5:30pm during term time. Each week, we have a different speaker on a termly theme, accompanied by other readings (poetry, prose or prayers) and beautiful music sung by The Choir of Somerville College, Oxford. We also regularly host concerts, including (but not limited to) regular installments from the Somerville Music Society, as well as other events - keep your eye on this page for more information! 😊🎶✨

Address

Somerville College, Woodstock Road
Oxford
OX26HD

Website

http://www.some.ox.ac.uk/about/chapel-choir/

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