• Tickets: £15/£11
  • Company: OCM
  • Details
  • Parking & Access

Details

Wild nightingales will be among the guest artists when the Mercury Prize-nominated folk star Sam Lee brings his acclaimed SINGING WITH NIGHTINGALES event to the Old Fire Station, combining music and storytelling with a live streamed link to the woods, where the male birds sing their courtship song.

The concert is produced by folk music promoter, The Nest Collective, who’ve been holding Singing with Nightingales events in the woodlands of England since 2015, taking place again this spring in Kent, Sussex, and Gloucestershire. It’s brought here by Oxford Contemporary Music.

For this special event, Sam Lee will be joined on stage by guest musicians Alice Zawadski and Kadialy Kouyate and will communicate, via a live link, with an ornithologist who’ll guide us through the woodland, into one of the UK’s last remaining strongholds of the fast-disappearing bird, said to possess one of Nature’s finest voices.

Sam Lee says:

“The song of the nightingale has been captivating human hearts and firing imaginations since ancient times but the numbers visiting Britain are in decline, and it is very rare to hear them now even in the countryside. Yet by combining stories, music and folklore with a live broadcast from wild starlit woods, we can conjure a journey to where the nightingale nests, so that audiences can experience the timeless magic of nightingale song in ear-tingling proximity and let them listen in in on the rarest of concerts – human musicians dueting with a superb songbird.”

For more details of the programme, please see the Singing With Nightingales link on the right. Find Singing With Nightingales on Facebook and follow The Nest Collective @NestFolk on Twitter and Instagram.

SINGING WITH NIGHTINGALES is a production of The Nest Collective.

Parking & Access

Parking

There are a number of Blue Badge parking spaces nearby on Beaumont Street, and more on New Inn Hall Street and St Giles.

The closest car park is Gloucester Green Car Park, accessed via Gloucester Street.

If you have any questions or concerns, the City Council’s Access Officer can be reached at 01865 249811.

Getting here

We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, but we need your help. Use ecoway, our sustainable travel planner, to see the most eco-friendly options for your journey to Old Fire Station, and plan a bespoke and flexible route. ecoway is easy to use and you’ll be kept up to date with any disruption or changes to your journey plan.

Car parks in Oxford Blue Badge information Public transport in Oxford

Access

Disabled patrons are eligible for one free companion ticket with their booking. To book this, contact the ticket office: tickets@oldfirestation.org.uk or 01865 263990.

There are two entrances to the Old Fire Station: 40 George Street via the foyer, and on Gloucester Green via the shop. Both are step-free. If you are coming to a show, we ask that you use the George Street entrance, as the Gloucester Green entrance is not always open.

Events in the Theatre

There is level entry to the foyer of the Old Fire Station, and step-free access to the main Theatre (where most shows take place).

If you are a wheelchair user attending a sit-down show, space will be reserved for you. If you are attending a standing gig, please contact us (call the ticket office on 01865 263990 or e-mail tickets@oldfirestation.org.uk) and we will talk with you about your needs.

Events in the Studio

There is level entry into the foyer of the Old Fire Station, and step-free access to the Studio.

Events in the Loft

There are six steps leading up to the Loft space, with no lift. If you would like to discuss this to find out more, please get in touch.

The Gallery

There is step-free access to the Gallery – level entry through the George Street entrance, and via lift from the Gloucester Green entrance.

Facilities

Accessible toilet
There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor, accessible via platform lift. Other toilets are in the basement (accessible via lift).

Hearing assistance system
The Theatre is equipped with a hearing assistance system. If you have any questions about using it, please e-mail us at tickets@oldfirestation.org.uk or phone 01865 263980.

Assistance dogs
All types of assistance and guide dogs are welcome at the Old Fire Station. It would be great if you could let us know in advance if you will be bringing a working dog to any performances – just e-mail tickets@oldfirestation.org.uk.

Strobe lighting
We will warn visitors on the website and in the foyer of the venue if a performance is going to contain strobe lighting. If lighting affects you, and you have any concerns, please call the ticket office on 01865 263990 or e-mail tickets@oldfirestation.org.uk.

Chairs in the theatre
Our chairs are a standard dining-chair size, measuring 40cm deep by 37cm wide, with a metal frame. Some have arms, and some do not. They are all joined together at the sides, to form rows. If this is likely to pose a problem for you, please email tickets@oldfirestation.org.uk and we can discuss how to make your visit more comfortable.