Caroline Speca is a classical violinist, community musician and music educator. She performed with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House for fourteen years, working with celebrated conductors such as Sir Tony Pappano, Sir Bernard Haitink and Sir Simon Rattle. She now oversees a music enrichment programme at Norwich School, and she teaches violin to children of all ages. Inspired by the connections between music, memory and movement, she designs and delivers outreach programmes on behalf of Wigmore Hall and Britten Pears Arts, harnessing the power of musical improvisation to communicate with those living with long term health conditions. Caroline is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music, and she holds postgraduate certificates in Music for Dementia and Collaborative Music Practice for Health.

My connection to Britten Pears Arts reaches back to the 1990s, when I was a member of the Suffolk Youth Orchestra and the Britten Pears Orchestra. I still deeply treasure my memories of performing on the Snape Maltings stage as a young musician. Today, my work with BPA revolves around my passion for community music. Since 2016, I have been part of a BPA team that brings music into care homes, delivers therapeutic music workshops for people living with long-term health conditions, and makes musical connections with people feeling isolated or lonely. I also design, and perform in, BPA’s community tea-dances and garden parties. Our online tea-dance at the height of the Covid pandemic proved hugely popular, and it brought joy to the residents of over 60 care homes across the UK. With BPA, I also teach violin to a small number of talented young musicians on the AYM programme—bringing my story full circle as I watch them take to the very same Snape Maltings stage.