Stories

An official history of the Aldeburgh Festival

The Aldeburgh Festival has been a pilgrimage for lovers of classical music and culture since 1948. Every June it brings together new commissions, world-premieres and international stars on the stretch of Suffolk Coast which so bewitched its co-founder, composer Benjamin Britten. Here Dr Nicholas Clark, Librarian at The Red House, looks back on the history of the Festival.
Read more
Children singing in school uniforms

Creative health

Britten Pears Arts believes music and the arts can help make us feel better. Take a look at some of the ways we support artists and practitioners, strengthen cross-sector relationships, and develop new practices by working with partners across arts, academia, health and social care. See some of our projects in action, making music useful for communities...
Find out more
Man sat at a mixing desk with a mic

Artist development

Dive in to films and stories created with artists on our Residencies, find out about the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme, and transport yourself to Festival of New...
Watch now
Portrait of two older men with grey hair, in cardigan suits, on outdoor chairs, sitting close together

Benjamin Britten & Peter Pears

Britten and Pears were collaborators and lovers for 39 years. Learn more about their life and work together, meet their creative circle, and step into their home – The Red House, Aldeburgh...

Aldeburgh Festival

The Aldeburgh Festival has been a pilgrimage for lovers of classical music and culture since 1948. Every June it brings together new commissions, world-premieres and international stars on the stretch of Suffolk Coast...

Explore Archive Treasures

  1. Archive Treasures: The story of a Holocaust survivor and a musical legacy

    We mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and of the liberation of the death camps with the story of a special…

  2. Archive Treasures: Armenian Amphora

    Among the many treasures on display at the Red House is the splendid Armenian amphora. It dates from the Urartu era, a civilization which, from the…
  3. black and white image of a group of performers sitting at a coffee table.

    Archive Treasures: The English Opera Group

    The English Opera Group collection forms part of the Britten Pears Arts Archive which documents the lives and work of Britten and Pears, as well as…