ORCHESTRA
VOX
Founded by Hannah von Wiehler
Music That Speaks
In 2016, Hannah von Wiehler founded Orchestra VOX in Oxford with a pioneering vision: to break classical music out of the concert hall and forge a vibrant dialogue with the wider community, while guiding under-represented and contemporary works back onto the concert stage.
Over eight years as Founder and Music Director, von Wiehler built VOX into one of Oxford’s most distinctive ensembles — an orchestra-in-residence at St John’s College that performed not only in traditional venues but in refugee detention centres, homeless shelters, and hospitals, donating profits to charity and offering free concerts to encourage accessibility.
A Pioneering Repertoire
Under von Wiehler’s artistic direction, VOX championed bold, cutting-edge programming. Alongside standard repertoire, the orchestra spotlighted edgy and under-represented composers including Einojuhani Rautavaara, Steve Reich, Sofia Gubaidulina, Rodion Shchedrin, and Tania Léon, as well as new commissions and world premieres.
VOX also partnered with The People’s Opera to produce fully staged operas — including Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine and Schoenberg’s Erwartung — keeping ticket costs low and creating daring, immersive production concepts that brought opera to new audiences.
Community & Impact
What set Orchestra VOX apart was its commitment to social impact. The ensemble regularly performed outreach concerts for homeless communities, hospital patients and staff, and other underserved groups — bringing the full force of orchestral music to people who rarely encounter it live.
Generously supported by St John’s College, Oxford, and private donors, VOX demonstrated that a professional orchestra can thrive while placing accessibility and community at the centre of its mission.
Orchestra VOX was formerly known as the Oxford Alternative Orchestra.