Aldeburgh Festival

13 – 29 June 2025

In the 76th Aldeburgh Festival we will experience anew music’s transformative power to move, inspire, and connect by composers and artists who bring their work to life.

We look forward to welcoming you in June to this special part of the world for an unforgettable celebration of music and the arts.

Download a PDF of the Aldeburgh Festival 2025 programme.

Explore the Festival Hub

Discover this year’s Festival theme, Featured Artists and more.

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16 events on this page of 133 total

A Reading of Chekhov

Enjoy a reading of Chekhov’s A Visit to Friends, the short story that inspired this year’s Aldeburgh Festival Opera, in the enchanting woodland setting of Thorington Theatre.

Thorington Theatre

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Visual art

Explore our current and upcoming exhibitions, galleries, Sculpture Park and more.

Snape Maltings and The Red House

Throughout the year

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Man with short grey hair standing in a doorway beside a hanging basket of flowers.
Pre-performance Talk:

A Visit to Friends I

Before the performance of A Visit to Friends, a fascinating discussion between composer Colin Matthews, librettist William Boyd, director Rachael Hewer, and designer Leanne Vandenbussche.

Britten Studio, Snape Maltings

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Aldeburgh Festival Opera: A Visit to Friends I

The world premiere of Colin Matthews’ first opera, with a libretto by William Boyd, based on an intriguing Chekhov short story.

Snape Maltings Concert Hall

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Group of four musicians holding string instruments, standing outside beneath ancient church windows

Gildas Quartet: Beethoven and Colin Matthews

Favourite works by Beethoven and Bridge plus the world premiere of a new work by Colin Matthews written especially for this wonderful group.

Orford Church

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Pre-performance Talk:

A Visit to Friends II

Before the performance of A Visit to Friends, a fascinating discussion between composer Colin Matthews, librettist William Boyd, director Rachael Hewer, and designer Leanne Vandenbussche.

Peter Pears Recital Room, Snape Maltings

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Aldeburgh Festival Opera: A Visit to Friends II

A second showing of Colin Matthews and William Boyd's first opera, based on an intriguing Chekhov short story.

Snape Maltings Concert Hall

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EXAUDI: Book of Flames and Shadows

Blythburgh Church at sunset plays host to another iconic Festival happening: the first live performance of this extraordinary programme in which the spoken word transforms into song.

Blythburgh Church

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Aldeburgh Festival Service

New music by featured composers Helen Grime and Daniel Kidane is at the heart of the annual Festival Service, held in the original spiritual home of the Aldeburgh Festival.

Aldeburgh Church

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Behind the Scenes at The Red House: Festival

During the 76th Aldeburgh Festival, get an inside view of the spaces not usually open to the public, and meet the dedicated team responsible for Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears’ beloved home.

The Red House, Aldeburgh

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Young woman with red hair standing amidst the reeds.

Ruby Colley and EXAUDI: Hello Halo

In this performance installation, Ruby Colley and EXAUDI sensitively and movingly explore neurodivergence, relationships and communication.

Peter Pears Recital Room, Snape Maltings

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Fu and Betts-Dean: Solitude with Schubert

A beautiful Schubert recital with stars George Fu and Lotte Betts-Dean in which grief mingles with consolation, combined with a film exploring the loss of a loved one.

Britten Studio, Snape Maltings

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Woman wearing a black, sparkly dress and looking at the camera
Pre-performance Talk:

Nocturne and Folk

Three leading artists involved in this evening’s concert and in the Aldeburgh Festival discuss their works and collaboration.

Britten Studio, Snape Maltings

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Knussen Chamber Orchestra: Nocturne and Folk

The beating heart of the Festival: a major new commission from featured artist Helen Grime with soloist Claire Booth, plus Allan Clayton singing Britten’s Nocturne.

Snape Maltings Concert Hall

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Lake and hillside in a purple sunset

Creative Discussion: Speak of the North

A fascinating morning of expert discussion and creative writing inspired by the idea of North, and the music of Helen Grime and Gavin Higgins that brings it to life.

Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh

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Mishka Rushdie Momen: Darknesse Visible

An entrancing programme from this “most thoughtful and sensitive of British pianists” explores darkness and glimpses of light through music old and new – including the Kidane Etudes inspired by a Kandinsky painting.

Britten Studio, Snape Maltings

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