2026 – activity planning

Dear member or associate,

I write on behalf of the Committee of the Oxford University Society in Southwest France.

The Committee are hard at work planning a programme of events for this year. We are doing our very best, mindful of our expansive catchment area (incorporating both Nouvelle Aquitaine and Occitanie), to ensure a good geographical distribution of visits and activity.

In the draft programme below, we have prioritised giving as much notice as possible, in the hope of eliciting early interest and feedback, rather than providing great detail at this point. We aim to provide more detail closer to each event (particularly as regards the first two):

the committee hard at work……..

  1. CATHAR COUNTRY – A 2-day weekend visit. Potentially to start with a Saturday lunch and a wine tasting at an independent wine centre in Limoux. The other day (Friday or Sunday?) to include a visit of Carcassonne Cité (walking tour and/or Petit Train), possible visit to a nearby Cathar castle, lunch and/or dinner. There will be flexibility for members to attend some or all of this. Probable timing: 2nd half of March 2026.
  1. GIRONDE BARREL MAKER – Visit to the Sylvain Tonnellerie (Pomerol) at 09.45 for 10.00, followed by lunch, followed by a wine tasting at Chateau La Rose Perrière at 14.00. Confirmed for: 23 April 2026.
  1. TOULOUSE – A 2-day weekend or mid-week visit. Current thinking is that one day could involve a visit to Aeroscopia (10.00am), followed by lunch, possibly with an Airbus 321 tour in the afternoon (14.30). The second day could include (some of) the following: Visit to Fondation Bemberg, Saint Sernin, the Capitol, and Couvent de Jacobins. There will be flexibility for members to attend some or all of this.  Probable timing: May or early June 2026.
  1. DORDOGNE or LOT PREHISTORY – Possibilities include either a visit centred around Les Eyzies (Musée National de Préhistoire and nearby cave/prehistoric art) or around Pech Merle (The cave paintings, possibly supplemented by visits to St-Cirq-Lapopie or the Gouffre de Padirac), accompanied by lunch. Probable timing: Late June or July 2026.
  1. BORDEAUX – Visit to Bassin des Lumières, followed by lunch. Possible timings during July – September 2026.
  1. ROQUEFORT & MILLAU – Visit to the Roquefort Caves d’affinages, followed by lunch, and then a guided tour of the Viaduc de Millau. Possible timings during: September – October 2026.

It would be helpful to receive any expressions of interest, or comments, in the coming couple of weeks (before our next Committee Meeting). Those of you who are not currently members, are most welcome to attend; current annual membership is €10 and payable at the first event you attend. Any ticket and lunch costs are paid on the day ‘at cost’ by each attendee. Where relevant, hotel arrangements/bookings will be made by each member (although we will try to provide some suggestions). You are most welcome to bring guests by prior arrangement.

We look forward very much to seeing you at one or more of these events!

Kind regards,

Jeremy Trace,

Hon. Secretary

The Committee

Oxford University Society – South West France

https://ousswfrance.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/oxford-university-society-south-west-france

Books galore, 47!

Marion writes:

The now traditional English book sale in Monteton (Lot-et-Garonne) will be on October 11th/12th. This is a very well-established event, with hundreds of books, CD’s etc., also with good coffee and English cakes to restore the energy of tired browsers. For those who don’t know the picturesque hill-top village, this would be a good reason to go.

All books at 1€, and proceeds to charity.

A similar event for French books  will be held on 25th/26th October, with the added attraction of the sale of second-hand jewellery. 

Books 1€, jewellery 2€.

There is a restaurant in the village, and plenty of possibilities in the area.

Information at the Mairie de Monteton : 05 53 20 20 08

2025 AGM

OXFORD UNIVERSITY SOUTH WEST FRANCE

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Friday 10 October 2025, 11h.00 for 11h.15

Restaurant Château des Verdots, 24560 Conne-de-Labarde *

A message is being sent to all members. The AGM will be followed by a lunch to which guests are welcome. The price of the three-course lunch, payable on the day and including wine and coffee, is €39. Guests will be able to enjoy a wine tasting while members are in the meeting.

Members: please can you let us know by replying to the email also naming any guest(s) and dietary requirements, not later than Thursday 2 October.

For more details of the site, please see https://www.verdots.com/en.

Marion writes: Chopin in Duras and Art in Nerac.

Here are two events which might interest members :

1.  Sunday 14th September, at 17h30, Château de Duras, a Chopin concert “Chopin, l’âme slave du piano” concert with the Symphonistes d’Aquitaine and soloist Alexey Chernov. On-line reservation possible at helloasso.com/associations/duras-association-du-chateau/evenements/les-ducales

2. A fantastic exhibition at Nérac in the former sous-préfecture (a grand building) “Art d’Asie et les influences sur l’Occident”. really interesting and beautiful exhibits, well presented. Open until 26th September (longer than first stated). Tuesday – Friday 14h – 19h, Saturday and Sunday 10h – 19h. Entrance 10€. Address : 2 Avenue du Maréchal Foch, easy parking. While in Nérac, don’t miss a visit to the château. Great fun.  Among the exhibits there I was taken with the medieval beauty treatments described. While, at a pinch, I suppose I could try sleeping with raw veal escalopes covering my face, the one which requires marrow from the bones in a wolf’s paw is a bit more tricky.

I would add that there is also Chopin to be heard in Prayssas on the same date https://www.institutmarcderanse.com.

Chateau de Portets, 11 September

Our fifth 2025 event will be on Thursday 11th September 2025 when we will have a chai tour and tasting at Château de Portets, 33640 Portets, on the left bank of the Garonne and some 30 km SE of Bordeaux. This will be followed by a lunch at Cambes.

Chairman Greg remarks that this follows a very successful visit to France Truffes. He hopes to see even more members and friends at this event. Members should contact him directly if they wish to attend.

Wine has been produced in Portets for over 2000 years. From 1587, the château fort and surrounding area was governed by the barons de Gascq. When in 1781 the direct male line died out, the estate was sold to the Séguineau de Lognac family, in whose ownership it remained until the end of the nineteenth century.

Visited in July 1808 by Napoleon on his way back from Spain to Bordeaux, it was requisitioned by the Germans in 1940 and subsequently abandoned. Ten years of neglect and decay were to pass before it was purchased in 1956 by Jules Théron, grandfather of the present owner, and restoration work began.

August Truffles and July Madrigals

France Truffes (Penne d’Agenais), Wednesday 6 August 2025

This is our fourth visit of 2025: https://www.acheterdestruffes.com/truffe-lot-et-garonne.

The visit starts at 10:00.

We have booked a guided tour of just over the hour with Bernard Rosa, one of the two partners involved in the enterprise. A trufficulteur for some 25 years, he will also tell us a little about the history of truffle growing. 

Members should book with Nigel no later than Wednesday 31st July.

As recorded in this post, the Queens College choir perform on July 28th: Madrigals by Queens, Monday 28 July

Jardins de Sardy Summer Concerts

LE PROGRAMME : 

Mardi 15 Juillet à 18h30 : DIVERTISSEMENTS MUSICAUX

Morceaux composés pour les salons de musique. Trois époques pour trois salons : 

  • Mozart chez les Jacquin 
  • Beethoven, Debussy et Rachmaninov chez Madame de Saint Marceaux 
  • Walton chez les Sitwell

Ikuko Ducasse : clarinette, saxophone

Chloé Dunn : violon, violon alto

Patrick Hilliard : piano

Mardi 22 Juillet à 18h30 : DES HISTOIRES EN MUSIQUE

Concert adapté (et recommandé !) pour les enfants de 7 à 77 ans 

Des contes et récits de notre enfance racontés et mis en musique par des grands compositeurs : quand les grands se mettent au service de la nouvelle génération.

  • Le Conte de Pierrot Lapin (B.Potter), Dudley Glass 
  • Alice au Pays des Merveilles (L. Caroll), Florent Nagel 
  • L’enfant et les sortilèges (Colette), Ravel 
  • d’autres mélodies sur le thème des contes mis en musique…

Sofia Kirwann-Baez : chanteuse soprano

Isaline Leuridant : chanteuse soprano

Delphine Vidal : narratrice

Thomas Ooi : baryton

Patrick Hilliard : piano

Mardi 29 Juillet à 18h30 : Broadway Hits ! 

Répertoire de comédies musicales et de chansons américaines parmi les airs des plus grands compositeurs ayant marqué ce genre : Bernstein, Porter, Bacharach, Masser, Loewe, Legrand,… 

Du Magicien d’Oz aux Misérables en passant par My Fair Lady. 

Sophie Touitou : chanteuse soprano

Ilan Evans : chanteur

Alexandre Saada : pianiste

Mardi 5 Août à 18h30 : Saxo et Jazz

Ensemble de pièces et arrangements pour saxophone solo ou accompagné de piano. 

Chants traditionnels : Scarborough Fair ; Greensleeves  

XXème : standard de jazz (Autumn Leaves, Lullaby of Birdland, Misty, Petite Fleur,…) ; D. Milhaud, P. Maurice, E. Bozza, A. Piazzola, C.-H. Joubert, M. Mangani,…

Gaétan Dupont : saxophone

Camille Demaumont : piano

Mardi 12 Août à 18h30 : Cristina Ortiz et ses amis

Cristina Ortiz, connue pour ses talents de pianiste concertiste présente 2 musiciens, rencontrés au cours de sa carrière, qu’elle accompagnera au piano dans un programme sous le signe des cordes :

  • Mozart, Sonate pour piano et violon K454
  • Rachmaninov, Sonate pour violoncelle et piano 
  • Mendelssohn, trio en ré mineur pour violon, violoncelle et piano

Cristina Ortiz : piano

Anthony Flint : violon

Johann Sebastian Paetsch : violoncelle

INFORMATIONS PRATIQUES :

Les concerts commencent généralement dans le cœur du jardin (si les conditions météorologiques le permettent), au niveau du long bassin, et se poursuivent dans la salle de concert attenante à l’accueil-salon de thé.

A l’issue de chaque concert, nous sommes heureux de partager un moment convivial avec vous autour d’un buffet  offert par les Jardins de Sardy, l’occasion de déguster notre vin rouge. Vous avez aussi la possibilité de rencontrer les musiciens et de faire connaissance avec les autres spectateurs. 

Réservation fortement conseillée : au plus tard, quelques jours avant, pour faciliter la logistique des concerts. 05 53 27 51 45 ou jardins.sardy@gmail.com

Join our Cambridge friends at Carsac, 11 July

The Cambridge alumni group have kindly invited us join them on a visit to the Jardins d’Eau in Carsac, near Sarlat, with lunch to follow in a nearby restaurant. If you have never been there, this place is really worth visiting as it has an eye-popping collection of water lilies, lotuses and other aquatic plants. 

Located on the north bank of the Dordogne river on the outskirts of Carsac-Aillac at St. Rome is the botanical garden of the Jardin d’Eau. More than 25 years in the making, the ponds, waterfalls and water maze have been created by the Bernard family and inspired by the tropical garden of Monte Palace in Madeira. The garden is home to 30 varieties of exotic lotus and 55 varieties of stunning water lilies. Seeds within the remarkable lotus trumpet have been found to be viable for as long as a 1000 yrs.  In addition to the extensive ponds, the tour goes through areas of shaded gardens with collections of approx. 200 plants, shrubs and trees labelled for the inexperienced botanist. 

Members should send a message to info@ousswfrance.com before Tuesday 8th if they wish to participate.

Madrigals by Queens, Monday 28 July

The Queen College choir will be singing madrigals at Saint Sernin in Toulouse starting at 7 p.m. Entrance is free with a retiring collection. The concert is open to all and should be an exceptional opportunity to hear these Renaissance part-songs, typically unaccompanied and arranged in elaborate counterpoint.

Here is the poster for their French visit this month: