The line-up for this year’s Aldeburgh Festival has been announced, including the introduction of new £10 tickets for every performance.
Taking place June 8–24, the main programme of classical music, opera and visual arts features more than 50 events with half-price tickets for most events for those 21 and under.
Events range from a transcendental music marathon starting at sunrise to an early music masterpiece which see the festival return to Ely Cathedral for the first time in 50 years.
This year’s artists and ensembles include Patricia Kopatchinskaja, John Wilson, Claire Chase, Sir Bryn Terfel, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, The Sixteen, Tamara Stefanovich, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Le Concert Spirituel, John Wilson Orchestra, Alina Ibragimova, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Belcea Quartet, Anne-Sophie von Otter, Piatti Quartet and Cédric Tiberghien.
There’s also a wealth of new music, including premieres by Emily Howard, Harrison Birtwistle, Michael Hersch and Simon Holt.
The Pumphouse’s 30-plus non-classical cross-arts events will be revealed in April followed by the Bandstand on the Beach line-up in June, where there will be free family-friendly events from 1pm each day.
Exhibitions include Samantha Heriz’s Suffolk Voices, an exploration of the changing Suffolk accent; plus Tom Hammick’s Lunar Voyage, a narrative cycle of 17 woodcut prints conjuring a metaphorical escape from Earth; Dennis Creffield’s drawings of East Anglian cathedrals and a new installation alongside other work by East Anglian-born sculptor Kate MccGwire.
A key strand is Britten and America, coinciding with the centenary of the composer, conductor and educator Leonard Bernstein.
Another, marking 70 years since the festival was founded, is The Spirit of 1948 which reflects on a the post-war period when so much of what we now regard to be the backbone of our cultural life was launched.
Visit www.snapemaltings.co.uk/festival for the full programme rundown.
General booking for the Aldeburgh Festival opens on February 14.
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