Applications are now open for the 2026 Hesse Scheme – an amazing work experience opportunity during the Aldeburgh Festival.

Thursday 11 June – Monday 29 June 2026

Once again, we are inviting applications from those with a love of music and an interest in a career in the arts to join our Hesse Scheme during the 2026 Aldeburgh Festival.  

The Aldeburgh Festival, founded in 1948 by composer Benjamin Britten and his life partner Peter Pears, remains one of the most distinctive and celebrated classical music festivals in the world. Every June, it brings together new commissions, world premieres and internationally acclaimed artists on the stretch of Suffolk coastline that so deeply inspired Britten and Pears. This year, we will be celebrating our 77th Festival and our 67th year of the Hesse Scheme.

 The Hesse Scheme was launched in 1959 when Princess Margaret of Hesse and the Rhine wanted to ensure that more young people had access to the Aldeburgh Festival. Princess Margaret was a President of the Festival and a generous supporter for many years, establishing the Hesse Lecture Fund after the death of her husband, Prince Ludwig. The opportunity she created for young people interested in music, heritage and the wider arts industry remains at the heart of the scheme today.  

The scheme runs from Thursday 11 June until Monday 29 June 2026, and candidates should only apply if they are available to attend for the entirety.  Applications will close at midday on Friday 13 March.

Hesse Scheme Interns are integral to the day-to-day running of the Festival, and perform a wide variety of important tasks, from welcoming audiences and artists to our venues in Aldeburgh, Snape and the wider area, to providing on the ground support to teams that require it. The role requires strong communication skills and the ability to build positive, respectful relationships with people at all levels.  

As well as attending a wide range of Festival events, participants on the Hesse Scheme gain meaningful insight into the planning and administration of an internationally recognised arts and heritage organisation. Throughout the programme, you will meet staff at all levels across Britten Pears Arts and have opportunities to ask questions, explore career pathways and develop a greater understanding of what it is like to work within the arts.  

 Where possible, we will also offer tailored activities or shadowing sessions with relevant departments based on your particular areas of interest, giving you focused, hands-on experience in parts of the organisation that inspire you most.  

Traditionally, Hesse Scheme Interns also curate and present a performance of their own during the Festival, often collaborating with their cohort in unique spaces such as Britten and Pears’ library at their former home, The Red House.  

For more information about the scheme, and to view our other work opportunities during the Festival, including the Artist Liaison and Super Hesse roles, please visit our careers page.