‘Summer at Snape’ 2023: 24 July–2 September.

Britten Pears Arts is delighted to announce the return of ‘Summer at Snape’.

The series will run from 24 July – 2 September with something for everyone to enjoy this summer.

• Venues across Snape Maltings and The Red House in Aldeburgh will host 6 weeks of events.
• Concerts will feature outstanding artists and ensembles from the worlds of classical music, jazz, blues, world, folk, roots, pop, rock, experimental performances, works in progress and rising talent.
• From July to September there are over 80 events across 42 days with opportunities for all ages to get involved. Participants can learn to dance the samba, try drumming, printmaking and illustration with local artists and enjoy a day of singing and spoken word workshops.
• Many events are family-friendly with lots to take part in, including children’s concerts, skills-based groups and workshops.
• Snape Maltings is in the heart of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with breath-taking views and walks. The Red House in Aldeburgh is a short distance from the stunning Suffolk coastline.
• There is also a range of eclectic independent shops and galleries at Snape Maltings that support the charitable activities of Britten Pears Arts.

Event highlights include:

• Visiting orchestras include Aurora Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Southbank Sinfonia and the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra.
• Pianist Christian Blackshaw performs all of Mozart’s Fantasias and Sonatas across four concerts.
• International artists include cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, pianists Benjamin Grosvenor and Sir Andras Schiff; soprano Danielle de Niese; violinist Hyeyoon Park and guitarist Sean Shibe with flautist Adam Walker and violist Timothy Ridout.
• Visiting ensembles include Ensemble 360, the Jess Gillam Ensemble, The King’s Singers with Fretwork and Sphinx Virtuosi.
• Chamber music from brass groups Slide Action, Connaught Brass, and the Gavin Bryars Ensemble celebrates the composer’s 80th birthday.
• Vocal music from The Swingles, the National and London Youth Choirs and Aldeburgh Voices.
• For lovers of literature, Leah Broad reads excerpts from her new book Quartet interspersed with music from the four female composers she spotlights, plus Britten and Pears’ letters are read by Zeb Soanes and Petroc Trelawny with music from LGBT+ ensemble The Fourth Choir conducted by Nicholas Chalmers.
• The jazz, blues and world line-up features the Ana Carla Maza Quartet, Jacqui Dankworth and the Carducci Quartet, The Fontanas, Seckou Keita and Suntou Susso, and the Clare Teal Seven.
• Pop and popular classics from KT Tunstall and Mike Lovatt’s brass orchestra with vocalist Matt Ford performing new arrangements of Frank Sinatra classics.
• Experimental concerts in the Britten Studio include the Ukrainian Hooligan Art Community and composers Luke Abbott and Laura Cannell.

Roger Wright, Chief Executive, Britten Pears Arts commented, ‘It is exciting to announce this year’s Summer at Snape series which offers something for everyone. We would love you to join us over the summer months, be it for a concert, a visit to The Red House, a walk in the beautiful landscape, to join in one of the many participatory events, experience the art exhibitions, browse the independent shops at Snape or enjoy a pizza in the Tipi. Whether you will be a first-time visitor, a holidaymaker, a long-time supporter, an independent explorer or with family and friends – everyone is welcome, and a visit to our two sites and our range and depth of activities will brighten your summer.’

Snape Maltings Concert Hall

Orchestras

• Aurora Orchestra has pioneered performing symphonic works by heart since 2014 and now presents its boldest challenge yet – Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring from memory conducted by Nicholas Collon. The concert also features Bloch’s Schelomo – Hebrew Rhapsody with cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason as soloist (16 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• The brilliant emerging artists of Southbank Sinfonia present an all-Mendelssohn programme showcasing the composer in all his shades from the wild Scottish coast in The Hebrides Overture, to Northern Italy in the ‘Italian Symphony’ and the ever-popular Violin Concerto (1 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• TheBBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Barry Wordsworth give the world premiere of the orchestral version of Peter Dickinson’s ‘Unicorns Suite’ alongside Berners’ A Wedding Bouquet, Doreen Carwithen’s Men of Sherwood Forest and Elgar’s Enigma Variations (23 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra and conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson return to close Summer at Snape. The programme includes Beethoven’s ‘Eroica Symphony’ as well as two works by Ukrainian composers; Yevhen Stankovych’s Violin Concerto with Valery Sokolov as soloist and Skoryk’s ‘Melody’ – which is frequently described as the spiritual hymn of Ukraine (2 Sept, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• National Youth String Orchestra features some of the UK’s most talented young string players. The programme features Britten’s Simple Symphony, an arrangement of Beethoven’s ‘Pathetique’ piano sonata, Anna Clyne’s Stride and Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony (arr. Rudolph Barshai) (7 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).

International Artists

• Over four Tuesday evenings in August, pianist Christian Blackshaw performs the complete cycle of Mozart’s Fantasias and Sonatas for solo piano. Blackshaw is a leading interpreter of Mozart’s piano music and has received wide acclaim for his recordings of Mozart’s Piano Sonatas with Volume 4 featuring in Gramophone Magazine’s Top 50 Greatest Mozart Recordings (8 Aug; 15 Aug; 22 Aug; 29 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Soprano Danielle de Niese is joined by pianist Ben-San Lau (a former Britten Pears Young Artist) to perform a selection of musical theatre and opera favourites from Bernstein to Sondheim and Summertime to You’ll Never Walk Alone. Danielle de Niese is currently starring as the lead role in the West End revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love (25 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Violinist Hyeyoon Park and pianist Benjamin Grosvenor perform a duo recital featuring Mozart’s Violin Sonata No. 24 in F K.376, Takemitsu’s Distance du fée, Debussy’s Sonata in G minor, Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending and Grieg’s Violin Sonata No. 23 in C minor, Op.45 (28 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Sir Andras Schiff performs a solo piano recital and will only unveil his programme live in the moment. In recent years Schiff has increasingly focused on solo playing and this is a rare opportunity to hear him live in Snape (31 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).

Ensembles

• The Jess Gillam Ensemble is led by saxophonist Jess Gillam and she is joined by seven musical friends who share a bold, uplifting and open minded approach to making music. Although they are all rooted in classical music, they take inspiration from musical worlds far and wide. Expect to hear a new spin on CPE Bach, the drive and groove of music by John Harle, Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) and Barbara Thompson, folk infusions and the soaring beauty of music by Sakamoto, Debussy and maybe even some Björk! (24 July, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• The King’s Singers and Fretwork viol consort join forces for a programme which marks 400 years since the death of two of England’s greatest composers – Weelkes and Byrd. There is also new music from contemporary composers Roderick Williams and James MacMillan, which is available on their newly launched album Tom + Will (3 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Sphinx Virtuosi is a chamber ensemble comprised of Black and Latinx artists and makes its UK debut at Snape Maltings. It performs a selection of works by composers including Beethoven, Britten and Vaughan Williams, alongside contemporary music from the USA. American works include Philip Herbert’s Elegy: In memoriam Stephen Lawrence, Perkinson’s Sinfonietta No.2 Generations and Carlos Simon’s Between Worlds (30 July, 5pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Praised by the Guardian as ‘one of the most adaptable chamber groups in the country’,Ensemble 360 comprises 11 players renowned for engaging interpretations of music ranging from baroque through to new commissions. Ensemble 360’s programme features Bridge’s ‘Phantasy Quartet’, Schubert’s much loved ‘Trout Quintet’, Lutowslawski’s Dance Preludes and Britten’s Sinfonietta (20 Aug, 5pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall). 

Chamber Music

• Trombone quartet Slide Action presents Sound Factory, a piece developed by the ensemble in partnership with Britten Pears Arts and City of London Sinfonia. It is a brand-new show that immerses the audience in new music, comedy, hosepipes and distinctive sounds (29 July, 11am & 2pm, Britten Studio).
• Two of the UK’s leading brass ensembles – trombone quartet Slide Action and brass quintet Connaught Brass are both former Britten Pears Young Artists and present Brilliant Brass. They weave together arrangements of Boulanger, Britten, Poulenc and Schubert, as well as original works, including Saskia Apon’s First Trombone Quartet and Mogens Andresen’s Prelude and Reinlendere from Three Norwegian Dances. The programme closes with the world premiere of a new arrangement of Britten’s Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes (29 July, 5pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Leah Broad’s new book Quartet brings to life four extraordinary female composers – Ethel Smyth, Rebecca Clarke, Dorothy Howell and Doreen Carwithen – who had previously been ghostly presences surviving only as muses and footnotes to male contemporaries like Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Britten – until now. Violinist Fenella Humphreys and pianist Nicky Eimer play music by all four women, while Leah Broad reads from the book (9 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Gavin Bryars brings his 7-piece ensemble to Snape Maltings for a celebration of his career as he turns 80. The concert features his iconic work Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, which turns a homeless man’s simple song of faith into a profoundly moving hymn of universal grace (13 Aug, 8pm, Britten Studio).

Vocal Music

• My Beloved Man is a newly devised sequence of words and music featuring the letters of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears read by the inimitable voices of radio legends Zeb Soanes (Classic FM) and Petroc Trelawny (BBC), interspersed with a programme of choral music sung by the LGBT+ ensemble The Fourth Choir conducted by Nicholas Chalmers. The programme features music by Britten and his contemporaries including Michael Tippett and Imogen Holst, and his influences from earlier times Byrd and Purcell (5 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• The vocal forces of the National Youth Choir, London Youth Choir, and international vocal group The Swingles join together to celebrate their respective anniversaries in an afternoon of song in Charged Up. The concert includes premieres of three new songs for Britten Pears Arts’ own song initiative, Friday Afternoons – celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2023 – as well as choral music written for and sung by young people including works by Britten, Amy Bryce and Eric Whitacre, conducted by Ben Parry (17 Aug, 5pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Britten Pears Arts’ resident choir, Aldeburgh Voices, sings summer choral favourites conducted by Dominic Ellis-Peckham (30 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).

Jazz, Blues & World

• Clare Teal’s performances are richly infused with jazz and renowned for their warm, witty storytelling and great arrangements. The BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM broadcaster is joined by her all-star band (27 July, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Seckou Keita and Suntou Susso are from Senegal and Gambia respectively and are kora players and percussionists who combine their centuries-old griot lineage with contemporary experience of collaborating with jazz, folk, pop, soul and classical musicians from around the world. Seckou’s new album African Rhapsodies is being released in May and his younger brother Suntou released his first album Kanefonyo last year (6 Aug, 5pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• un:procedureis an experimental-jazz-electronic group made up of synth player Piera Onacko, drummer and electronic artist Nathan Jones and alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi. The trio delivers a collision of free improvisation in a bed of spiralling, 70’s rock influenced grooves and heady, sci–fi tinged soundscapes (12 Aug, 8.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• The Fontanas return to Snape Maltings for a party soaked in funky Latin & Brazilian influences. The band performs music from its new album, The Fontanas Live, drawing influence from the likes of The Dap Kings and Banda Black Rio (14 Aug, 7pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Following her unforgettable concert at Snape last summer, Ana Carla Maza returns with her Quartet to fill the Concert Hall with sounds of the Caribbean, celebrating the launch of her new album Caribe! (19 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Jazz singer Jacqui Dankworth joins forces with the Carducci Quartet for an evening of music making centred on Jacqui’s new album Rocking Horse Road. The programme features music from the past two decades including compositions by Harvey Brough, David Gordon, Charlie Wood and Dankworth herself, alongside arrangements of songs by Bjork, Sting, Diana Krall and Elvis Costello (1 Sept, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).

Pop and popular classics

• Scottish Grammy-nominated singer KT Tunstall presents an unmissable solo set on the Concert Hall stage, combining introspective folk and propulsive rock. KT proclaims herself a combination of emotional acoustic troubadour and sharp-teethed rocker. She draws on two decades of memorable hits, from 2004’s Suddenly I See right up to new songs, as fresh and vibrant as ever (25 July, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Mike Lovatt and his 25-piece brass ensemble celebrate the music of one of the world’s most popular singers, Frank Sinatra with percussion, harp and jazz rhythm sections. Together with big-band vocalist Matt Ford, they perform new arrangements by Frank Skinner of hit songs first recorded on the Capitol and Reprise record labels (11 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).

Experimental

• Eavesdropping at The Red House is a new series of informal early evening events in the Library in The Red House, Aldeburgh, curated and presented by soprano Juliet Fraser in association with Eavesdropping, her festival of experimental music. Join an intimate musical sharing by the masterful Rihab Azar playing the oud, a lute-like instrument of Arabic origin, inspired by reflections on belonging, rebellion, and freedom (28 July, 6pm, The Red House, Aldeburgh).
• Hooligan Art Community returns to Snape Maltings one year after the group’s emergency residency in summer 2022, when the team reunited after being displaced by the war in Ukraine. This year the team revisits themes from their 2019 show “Hooligan”, first developed at Kyiv’s Mystetskyi Arsenal. As a teenage football hooligan, Sam would fight in brutal “competitions” in forest clearings. At the same time, he was studying in the arts lyceum and dreaming of becoming an actor. He would cover his bruises with make-up and go on stage at the local opera house and present evenings of music, poetry and dance. “Hooligan” explored themes of violence and vulnerability, as well as belonging, openness and collaboration, using movement and voice. Now the team will research the rest of the story and what happened to the others. To tell this story Hooligan Art Community will create a hooligan band to open the topics through collective music-making (12 Aug, 2pm, across Snape Maltings).
• During their BPA residency Luke Abbott and Laura Cannell expand their individual sound worlds to create a new sonic universe together, mixing the familiar and unfamiliar into powerful new music and creating new sonic territory (12 Aug, 7pm, Britten Studio).
• The creation of multifaceted guitarist Sean Shibe, Utter Filth creates a soundworld through the distinct blend of guitar, flute – Adam Walker – and viola – Timothy Ridout – juxtaposing and contrasting music from over five centuries (27 Aug, 8pm, Britten Studio).

Participatory Events

• The Wooden Roots Experience offers two full days of djembe and dundun drumming workshops led by renowned artists Babara Bangoura Fakoly, Monette Marino and Nasira Keita at Snape Maltings. A chance to explore West African drumming with high quality and authentic instruction (4 & 5 Aug across Snape site).
• On Thursday 17 August audiences of all ages can take part in a Singing Day – comprised of fun workshops exploring singing and storytelling.
  • Get Singing offers the opportunity to singalong with members of the National and London Youth Choirs. No previous singing experience necessary, just plenty of energy and enthusiasm (17 Aug, 10am, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
  • A special Mini Music Makers with guests from the National and London Youth Choirs for 0 – 5-year-olds and their grownups (17 Aug, 11am, Britten Studio).
  • Anything Goes: Tell Your Story offers the chance to discover the beauty of storytelling with spoken word poet Amerah Saleh (17 Aug, 11am for all ages, 1.30pm for ages 11 – 16, Jerwood Kiln Studio, Snape Maltings).
  • New Gen Sessions offers like-minded young people the opportunity to explore and develop skills in song writing (17 Aug, 11.30am, Peter Pears Recital Room, Snape Maltings).
  • Music Makers offers a free afternoon of music-making exploring musical styles from jazz fusion to orchestral music (17 Aug, 12.30 & 2pm, Britten Studio).
  • The Swingles are renowned for their ability to move effortlessly between genres, grounded in the belief that every style of music deserves respect, craft and attention to detail. In this participatory event, The Swingles will lead audiences through sing-along arrangements of various songs encompassing pop, jazz and classical styles (17 Aug, 3.30pm, Britten Studio).

Developing Young Artists & Family Concerts

• Aldeburgh Young Musicians (AYM) is an artist development programme for musicians aged 10-18, based at Snape Maltings Concert Hall. Part of the national network of Centres for Advanced Training, AYM facilitates the musical development of over 30 young people, unlocking their potential through a range of inspirational and immersive residential courses and additional activities. As a conclusion to a 5 day residency there are a number of events: two celebratory concerts for those leaving the programme this year (26 July & 2 Aug, 6pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall); Open Session to share what AYMs have explored with Hannabiell Sanders and her band (28 July, 4pm, Britten Studio); composer, arranger and educator Joe Duddell and his accomplished team of artists lead a week of immersive activity focussing on session music (4 Aug, 4pm, Britten Studio).
• Suffolk Youth Orchestra presents a programme that includes Borodin’s second symphony and a new piece, “Merlin and Vivien”, by Jamie Holland, a member of the orchestra (4 Aug, 7.30pm, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Music performed by Ensemble 360 and narration by Polly Ives bring to life the best-selling children’s book Izzy Gizmo, which tells the enchanting story of an intrepid young inventor who puts her talents to work to rescue a crow that can’t fly (20 Aug, 11am, Snape Maltings Concert Hall).
• Join Joe Carr for a morning of Mini Music Makers with fun, music and play activities. These sessions, which include singing and creative play, are great for little ones to learn social skills, turn-taking and sharing and to have fun! Especially suitable for 0–5-year-olds and their grown-ups (28 July; 4 Aug; 11 Aug; 17 Aug; 25 Aug; 1 Sept,10.30am, The Red House, Aldeburgh, Free, no need to book).

Full listings online at www.brittenpearsarts.org

Tickets for concerts at Summer at Snape go on general sale on 27 May at 10am.