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Discover John Taverner Study Afternoon
Christ Church has been a home to musical excellence since its foundation. One of its earliest employees was John Taverner, appointed in 1525 as the first Informator choristarum (instructor of the choristers). He quickly established himself as a composer of national significance, and his music survived the strictures of the Reformation to be copied even a century after its composition. More recently, Taverner and his music inspired Peter Maxwell Davies in the composition of orchestral pieces and an opera.
Find out about John Taverner: a panel of distinguished scholars give illustrated talks to introduce and discuss his life, his work, his legacy.
Registration includes refreshments (not lunch)
Programme:
13:30: Registration and exhibition viewing
14:00: Welcome
14.15: Session One
Magnus Williamson (Newcastle University) – Taverner of Boston
Kerry McCarthy (Independent Scholar) – Taverner, Wolsey, and the art of musical patronage
Andrew Hope (Independent Scholar) – Taverner and the Oxford ‘Lutherans’ in the 1520s
David Skinner (Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge) – John Taverner and the Sounds of Reformation
Lay clerks of Christ Church Cathedral Choir directed by Peter Holder, selected works by John Taverner.
16:00: Break
16:30: Session Two
David Maw (Christ Church, Oxford) – ‘not unlike a confused singing of birds’: Taverner’s instrumental legacy
Nicholas Jones (Cardiff University) – Maxwell-Davies and Taverner
Questions and answers with panel discussion.
Date:
22 November 2025, 13:30
Venue:
Christ Church - Upper Library
Venue Details:
Access to the Upper Library is by a large spiral staircase and may cause difficulty for anyone with limited mobility.
Speakers:
Magnus Williamson (Newcastle University),
Dr Andrew Hope (Independent),
Kerry McCarthy,
David Maw (Christ Church),
Nicholas Jones (Cardiff University),
David Skinner (Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge)
Organiser contact email address:
sarah.airey@chch.ox.ac.uk
Booking required?:
Required
Booking url:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/discover-john-taverner-a-study-afternoon-tickets-1837879209189?aff=oddtdtcreator
Cost:
£10 / Free to students
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Sarah Airey
