Applications are now closed for the Friday Afternoons Big Sing 2024. If you would like to take part from your school hall via our livestream please register your interest at community@brittenpearsarts.org.

The Friday Afternoons Big Sing at Snape Maltings is the home event of the Friday Afternoons project, born out of the Britten Centenary celebrations in 2013. During our Friday Afternoons Big Sing events at Snape Maltings, we fill the Concert Hall with young people from across Suffolk. Children and teachers gather to sing through a selection of songs as part of a massed choir.

Please note if you are taking part in person you will need to provide your own transport to/from Snape Maltings.

Following the huge amount of interest we had to take part in this year’s Friday Afternoons Big Sing at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, we have decided to live stream the event. This means that schools across Suffolk and beyond can take part in the event virtually, singing along from their school halls.

Join our mailing list to find out about more opportunities for schools.

The Big Sing is made possible with the generous support of corporate, Trust & Foundation and individual supporters. To find out more visit our Thank You page.

The Friday Afternoons Big Sing in 2023 celebrated the 10th anniversary of our Friday Afternoons project. Young people performed 7 songs from this year's collection of songs, including pieces by Roderick Williams, YolanDa Brown, Alexander Campkin, Charlotte Harding, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Alice Zawadzki and Kerry Andrew, as well a piece from Benjamin Britten's original set. All songs released were co-written with young people and have a theme of identity, amplifying their thoughts and feelings on life and the world around them.

On Friday 18 November 2022, 700 young people from 20 schools across Suffolk gathered in Snape Maltings Concert Hall to take part in the Friday Afternoons Big Sing, led by Nicholas Chalmers and Ula Weber. They sang a selection of songs from the Friday Afternoons song bank, including brand new releases from our Dragon Songs collection. These were written by Joanna Lee with text by Andy Shepherd, author of the series of books The Boy Who Grew Dragons.

On Friday 16 November, 800 young people from 24 schools across Suffolk gathered in Snape Maltings Concert Hall to take part in the Friday Afternoons Big Sing, led by Charles MacDougall, Charlotte Brosnan and Sally Egan.

Joined and accompanied by the composer herself, this year we sang through Errollyn Wallen‘s commissions for Friday Afternoons: MAP: Songs for Children Everywhere. In the lead up to this event, teachers from all schools attended training events on quality singing, and each school received a visit from the Friday Afternoons Big Sing team.

The 2017 Friday Afternoons Big Sing at Snape Maltings was led by 15 musicians from the Voces Cantabiles Music Foundation, including internationally renowned a cappella ensembles VOCES8 and Apollo5 plus their scholars.

800 students from 21 schools across Suffolk, including primary, high and special schools participated in massed singing activity at Snape Maltings Concert Hall, in the year of its 50^th anniversary, performing songs from the Song Bank including pieces by Luke Styles, Jonathan Dove (2016), Nico Muhly (2015), Gwyneth Herbert, Jason Yarde (2014) and Benjamin Britten’s original songs. In addition, the event saw performances by the professionals and workshops in breakout spaces, using the Friday Afternoons resources as a starting point and encouraging young people to respond creatively.