City of Oxford Orchestra 50th Anniversary Concert, Friday 7:30-9pm, Sheldonian Theatre
Taking place 50 years to the day after the City of Oxford Orchestra’s first ever concert, they return to the Sheldonian to celebreate their half-centenary. With a programme that includes pieces by Rossini, Brahms, and Dvorak, this promises to be the celebratory highlight of the week.
Oxroc presents: Last Great Dreamers, Saturday 7-11pm, The Cellar
Regulars of the Soho scene in the 90s, and only reformed last year, Last Great Dreamers come to Oxford with their loud guitars, louder clothes, and powerpop choruses. Having been nominated for Best New Band at the 1995 MTV Awards, head over if you want a nostalgia hit of 90s rock-pop.
Exhibition on Screen: Girl with a Pearl Earring, Monday, 6.30pm, Phoenix Picture House
This documentary goes in pursuit of the many unsolved riddles surrounding the eponymous painting and its mysterious creator, Vermeer. After a two year world tour of the painting, which reignited global interest, this film answers some of the the most pressing questions surrounding the work. Cultural as fuck.
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Anna Wintour, Tuesday 7pm, The Oxford Union
The Devil Wears Prada herself comes to the Oxford Union, so prepare for an evening of frosty glares and perpetual passive-aggressiveness. Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue since 1988, Wintour is by far and away the most influential person in the fashion world, and is also one of the biggest names at the Union this term.
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As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams, Tuesday-Saturday 9:30pm, Burton Taylor Studio
An adaptation of a classic Japanese text, this story follows a young woman in Eleventh Century Japan, who becomes consumed by her own imagination. Exploring the mythical and the spiritual through an immersive sound and lighting setup, this is also a great warm-up for International Women’s Day, given one of the major themes is women’s roles in society.
Oxford University International’s Women’s Day, Friday, 5:15pm, Jacqueline Du Pré Auditorium
Celebrate 2015’s International Women’s Day by rocking up to St Hilda’s for this talk. Speakers include author Melissa Benn and feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez. The event is free, open to all, and, as if you needed more convincing, it’s followed by a drinks reception. What more could you want?
OUAFC Centaurs Varsity Match, Friday 7pm, Iffley Road Stadium
This is the week’s unquestionable cultural highlight. Come down and watch the Centaurs, OUAFC’s second team, take on Cambridge Falcons. There will be food, chanting, Ed Mole’s magnificent legs, but sadly not your mercurial Culture Editor, who was inexplicably dropped, to the fans’ disapproval.
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National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Friday, 7:30pm, The Oxford Playhouse
The second 50th Anniversary concert of the week, the National Youth Jazz Orchestra are also celebrating their half-centenary with a night of swinging rhythms and hugely talented soloists. Given that the orchestra’s alumni inludes, amongst others, Amy Winehouse, you never know what great talent of the future you might see.