Residencies | Britten Pears Arts

Applications for 2026–2027 are now closed.

We will provide results to all applicants on 28 March 2026.

At Britten Pears Arts, our residency programme offers an incredible range of development opportunities for composers and music creators at our two inspiring locations: Snape Maltings and The Red House. Our programme is designed to ignite your creativity and exploration, providing the flexibility to suit your unique needs.

We offer a bespoke residency experience, in which we tailor our support to provide a safe and supportive environment where you can be curious, experiment, or try something new. So, whether you require a small, quiet space like The Red Studio, or a large area at Snape Maltings to collaborate with others, our facilities and resources are here to support your creative journey.

Please see our key Q&As below, but if you have any further questions about applications or about residencies in general, feel free to email us residencies@brittenpearsarts.org.

Residency dates

28 September – 2 October 2026
12 – 16 October 2026
26 – 30 October 2026
16 – 20 November 2026
30 November – 4 December 2026
1 – 5 February 2027
8 – 12 March 2027
19 – 23 April 2027

Who are Residencies for?

We welcome applications from musicians, composers, and music creators from all genres. Interdisciplinary, site-specific, and collaborative projects are also welcome. Artists at any stage of their career, who have exciting and cutting-edge ideas are encouraged to apply.

Perhaps you’re a duo writing your next album, or a jazz ensemble working with a choreographer for the first time, or composer and librettist writing your next big Opera? If you need dedicated time, space, and support to develop your work, a residency at Britten Pears Arts could be perfect for you.

What’s included?

Our residencies offer tailored support and inspiring spaces at either Snape Maltings or the Red Studio, one of our beautiful properties at The Red House in Aldeburgh

All residencies include:

Producer support before, during, and after your residency
Mentoring or facilitation of your process
Wellbeing support
Accommodation, travel, and lunch expenses
A public sharing through an informal Open Session
Multipurpose creative spaces
Time and space in the beautiful Suffolk countryside

Which Residency is right for you?

Snape Residencies

Located in Jerwood Kiln Studio or Britten Studio
Ideal for larger groups, projects with technical requirements, or work needing a large flexible space
Access from 9:30am to 5:30pm daily
Full technical support and setup arranged in advance
Equipment to test out ideas
Opportunities to connect with collaborators and our wider community

Red Studio Residencies

Perfect for solo artists or duos
Studio attached to accommodation for a self-contained experience
Equipped with grand piano, microphones, and PA system
24-hour access, so you can work whenever inspiration strikes
Basic technical advice support

“It’s rare to find a space that gives you both time and trust to follow your instincts without pressure. The environment really encourages deep listening and reflection – perfect for artists looking to reconnect with their process or try something new.”

Bilge Nur Yilmaz.
Watch/Listen to their work here.

We are unlikely to be able to pay international travel, but we welcome international applications.

We’re looking forward to building a relationship with artists who are open, curious and willing to become part of our community of musicians, artists, and collaborators.

The support available from our staff is a key benefit of our program. While regular meetings are encouraged to help develop your residency project, seek funding opportunities, and advance your career, they are not mandatory. We encourage you to take advantage of opportunities to work with our community team, participate in other projects and festivals, and connect with other artists. Finally, you are expected to share your work with the public through an informal Open Session.

What additional support is there?

Please let us know of any access requirements you may have, and we will happily accommodate them.

Access support

Applications to our programmes are online forms, but we also accept video or audio applications. If there’s anything we can do to help make the application more accessible to you please get in touch residencies@brittenpearsarts.org.

In the application, we’ll ask about any access requirements. If you, your core team, or potential participants need support, such as a BSL interpreter, sighted assistance, or anything else, please let us know so we can ensure your proposed residency is fully accessible. Our spaces at Snape Maltings are step free, with accessible toilets on every floor. We have multiple accommodation properties, and are confident we can cater for most access needs, but we’re really happy to chat through anything you may be concerned about.

Financial support

Residencies are intended to provide time, space, and resources for artists to build on their creative practice or enable a step change in their career. We do not pay artists’ fees as we are not asking for a direct service from them. Instead, we offer an unrivalled opportunity that gives artists a starting block and rounded support. However, we recognise that even with these resources provided, artists might still be unable to take up a Residency place for financial reasons. For this reason, we offer each artist a financial support package. The amount will vary depending on the scale and nature of the project. If your application is successful, we will let you know how much support we are able to offer based on your proposal. Please note this is in addition to any access costs.

Applications

At Britten Pears Arts, we strongly believe in equal opportunities for all and understand that diversity strengthens and enriches us as an organisation. We take pride in Britten Pears Arts Residencies being an accessible programme, and positively encourage applications from artists of all backgrounds, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, neurodivergence, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.

All applications are reviewed by our rotating panel of internationally recognised artists, staff at Britten Pears Arts and individuals from other partner organisations. A full list of reviewers will be announced soon.

Applications for 2026–2027 are now closed.

We will provide results to all applicants on 28 March 2026.

What do our artists say?

“It’s an incredible opportunity for any artists to be able to develop their work in such an inspiring environment.”

An-ting & Masumi Saito
Watch their Residency film here.

“I felt really looked after throughout – from the calm, welcoming vibe of the team to the space itself, which gave me time to think and create without pressure. There was a real sense of trust and care that made it easy to take creative risks and try things out.”

Bilge Nur Yilmaz
Watch/Listen to their work here.

“It was an extremely special week for me, working with Liam and Tom in such a beautiful nurturing environment. I think I can safely speak for all three of us when I say that we felt complete freedom in how we used our time. We were able to get into a headspace and to find an intensity of thought and concentration that we’d never have achieved in our usual surroundings. Your team were so professional and accommodating and couldn’t have provided us with more! Snape Maltings is a very special place.”

Clare O’Connell, Cellist
Watch Clare’s Residency film here.