Stories

The School Britten & Pears Built

Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears founded a special kind of Music School. Their 'creative campus' would offer musicians the chance to study at the magical Snape Maltings. This year the school, now known as the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme, celebrates its 50th year, and an important project is underway…
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Dress rehearsal for Grimes on the Beach, Aldeburgh Festival

Something in the Water: Aldeburgh Festival moments that made it famous

Towering silent sentinels afloat on the Alde. Projections on a nuclear power station. Piano recitals at dawn. Aldeburgh transformed into a living set for Punchdrunk’s Peter Grimes...
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Young Musicians: Key Thoughts on Health & Wellbeing

We brought together some great minds to discuss the health and wellbeing of young musicians, in our latest Britten Pears Arts Think Tank. The results are brilliantly captured by illustrator Jonny Glover in an interactive timeline...
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Discover Benjamin Britten's Music

Dive into 16 of Britten's musical works, and listen to our Britten playlist.

About Benjamin Britten & Peter Pears

Watch our eight minute film on Britten and Pears' relationship.
Benjamin Britten sitting in garden with dachshund

Benjamin Britten

Read a short biography of the composer Benjamin Britten.

Peter Pears

Read a short biography of the singer Peter Pears.

Explore Art, Health & Wellbeing

  1. Singing and Maternal Mental Health

    Series: Creative Thinktanks Ideas explored: music for health and wellbeing
  2. Portrait of Callum Given in the Concert Hall

    My Week: Callum Given, Head of Community

    Callum Given leads the team which runs Britten Pears Arts' work with local people. The team aims to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals,…

  3. HerStory: The Catchpole Chronicles

    Series: Enquiries Ideas explored: music for health and wellbeing

Explore Work of the Week

  1. Work of the Week 52. A Ceremony of Carols

    Presented by Ben Vonberg-Clark

  2. Work of the Week 51. Winter Words

    Presented by Marta Fontanals-Simmons and Lana Bode

  3. Work of the Week 50. The Prince of the Pagodas

    Presented by Olivia Bloore

Explore Archive Treasures

  1. Tilda Swinton in Derek Jarman's War Requiem, 1989

    The Anti-War Art of War Requiem, Sixty Years On

    May 2022 marks the sixtieth anniversary of War Requiem, ‘Perhaps the most important work I have yet written’ as Britten described it in his…

  2. Archive Treasures: The Birth of a Music School

    This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme (previously the Britten-Pears School for Advanced…

  3. Archive Treasures: Sentinels by the Reedbeds

    Today’s Archive Treasure lives not at the Red House but some miles away at Snape; rather than being tucked into an archive box, it is…