Wednesday 1st July 2026

Culture

How an Oxford undergraduate made a name in choral music

When he arrived at Oxford, he expected his future to lie primarily in orchestral music. Instead, it was choral music that transformed his direction.

‘Scenes With Girls’ and complicated female friendships

'Scenes with Girls' deserves to be seen as one of Labyrinth Productions’ (Rosie Morgan-Males and Emily Cullinan) most impressive accolades.

‘The Moro Affair’: Astonishingly original, but not quite a story

The acting in 'The Moro Affair' was superb across the board, with Harriet Wilson’s Pope as a standout, and Rosie Sutton’s direction was flawless.

‘Music can be everything’: Aurora Orchestra’s Jane Mitchell on the narratives around classical music

The Aurora Orchestra, who are playing at Oxford’s Schwarzman Centre on the 19th June, are best known for performing their orchestral repertoire from memory.

Notting Hill Carnival

In the first of a two part series focusing on street festivals, Sophie Balfour-Lynn captures the vibrancy and colour at one of the UK's most famous carnivals

The Book of Boredom

Cherwell reviews David Foster Wallace's unfinished, posthumous novel The Pale King, and wonders what might have been

A guide to summer reading

Barbara Speed guides new Cherwell readers through that most insurmountable of obstacles - your First Reading List

Review: Jonquil — Mexico

Tom May welcomes the return of Oxford’s Jonquil as they release the first single from their upcoming album.

Interview: Trouble Books

Akron-based ambient pop duo Trouble Books discuss their aversion to playing live and their recent collaboration with Emeralds’ Mark McGuire.

Age of Steam

Becky Nye travels back to the halycon days of transport at the Isle of Wight Annual Steam Show

Review: Balam Acab — Wander / Wonder

James Manning explores the half-light of Balam Acab’s debut album

Review: Dinner

Cherwell whets its appetite at this student interpretation of Moira Buffini's Dinner at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

This Amsterdam Nation

Alice Bullough gives us a captivating glimpse of life in Amsterdam through the lens

Three days at the Fringe

Cherwell Culture brings us some highlights from the Edinburgh Festival 2011

Portrait of a Rival (Part 2)

In continuation from our last photo essay, Joseph Caruana travels to Durham to show us what we're missing out on up Nor'

Portrait of a Rival (Part 1)

This week, Joseph Caruana finds plenty of reasons why you might regret choosing Oxford over Cambridge on your UCAS form

A Miró on Society

Cherwell reviews the Tate Modern's retrospective on the life and works of Joan Miró

Tracey on Tracey

Charles Mercer has mixed feelings about Tracey Emin's new survey exhibition at the Hayward

Review: Beirut – The Rip Tide

Natasha Frost takes a look at Beirut’s first album in four years. Is the Balkan-folk-pop formula still a winning one?

Review: Björk – Biophilia Singles Roundup

Tom May looks at the three songs to have been released so far from Björk’s highly anticipated Biophilia project

Review: Jay-Z & Kanye West – Watch the Throne

Bombastic masterpiece or rap-by-numbers money grab? Simon Torracinta takes on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s much-anticipated collaboration

No small feat

Matthew Perkins is enchanted and charmed by Arrietty

Top scores at the BBC Proms

We are well underway with “the world’s greatest classical music festival”: Leah Broad reviews the year’s concerts this far, and what to look out for in the season to come

Review: Little Dragon – Ritual Union

Simon Torracinta discusses the sensual new release by Swedish quartet Little Dragon

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