The Britten Pears Arts residency programme provides a safe and supportive environment for artists to be curious, experiment, or try something new. This year’s residencies ask bold and timely questions about how we create, connect, and listen. What does it mean to collaborate across cultures, languages, and generations? How can ancient texts, forgotten soundscapes, and traditional forms be reimagined for today? From exploring the voices of the very young and very old, to rethinking opera through silence, gesture, and accessibility, these projects invite us to consider how music and performance can bridge difference, honour ancestry, and respond to a rapidly changing world.

In April we selected the next round of Residency artists through a shortlisting panel with Adele Thomas, Helen Dawson, Tom Coult, Lloyd Coleman, Sofi Nowell, and two Aldeburgh Young Musicians, alongside the Residency team at Britten Pears Arts.

We’re very happy to announce that our Residency artists for 2025–26 are:

Ana Silvera, Lydia Samuels and Tomer Damsky
Olivia Chaney
Hugh Nankivell and Wils Wilson
Alice Boyd
Crispin Lord, Rita Mazza and Tom Foskett-Barnes
Iona Lane and Ranjana Ghatak
Jennifer Jackson and Jasmin Kent Rodgman
Irum Fazal, Laila Arafah and Elif Nur Karlıdağ
Sam Belinfante and Neil Luck
Alex Groves and The Carice Singers
Resonant Bodies (Rob Bentall and Zebedee C. Budworth)

Every residency at Britten Pears Arts ends with an Open Session, an informal sharing where artists present work in progress and invite audiences into their creative journey. Over the next twelve months expect everything from reimagined ancient music and cross-cultural collaborations to bold new opera, environmental soundscapes, and genre-defying performances. These sessions offer a rare chance to witness the first sparks of extraordinary new work in an intimate, behind-the-scenes setting. Find out more and book an Open Session here.

You can find out more about our Residency programme here.