New music, old music, reeds, marshes, vast skies and the waves of the North Sea… Aldeburgh in June offers much more than you’d expect from a classical music festival.
The full programme for Aldeburgh Festival 2020 will be announced on Wednesday 18 December and general booking opens on Tuesday 18 February. To champion our work and to enjoy priority booking, please consider becoming a supporter of Snape Maltings.
Aldeburgh Festival 2020
The 73rd Aldeburgh Festival takes place from 12 – 28 June 2020 and features four Artists in Residence who have each curated parts of the festival – composers Mark-Anthony Turnage and Cassandra Miller, and singers Julia Bullock and Allan Clayton. Other highlights include, opening night in Bury St Edmund’s Abbey celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of one of medieval England’s great monasteries, the first performance of Britten’s War Requiem at Snape Maltings as part of Aldeburgh Festival and the world premiere of Violet, a new opera by composer Tom Coult and playwright Alice Birch.
Artists in Residence
Julia Bullock
American soprano Julia Bullock is known for her outstanding technique, commanding stage presence and social activism. She first programmed Josephine Baker’s songs in 2014 and has continued to explore her life and work culminating in Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine which receives its UK premiere at Aldeburgh Festival. Her residency also explores the music of Cage and Foss, and she sings Britten’s Les Illuminations with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the festival’s closing concert.
Allan Clayton
Tenor Allan Clayton is one of the world’s most exciting singers. His Aldeburgh Festival residency includes the world premiere of a new song cycle by Mark-Anthony Turnage, a focus on Britten songs, and the music of the now rarely performed composer Priaulx Rainier who was championed by Peter Pears. He also performs alongside the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and a cast of international soloists in Britten’s War Requiem.
Cassandra Miller
Known for her ‘bold, kind-hearted’ and ‘miraculously beautiful’ music, Cassandra Miller is one of the most distinctive living composers. Her new installation Tracery, made with soprano Juliet Fraser, creates an intimate space for deep listening. The festival also features a new work for Juliet Fraser and the Bozzini Quartet, and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra will give the UK premiere of A Large House.
Mark-Anthony Turnage
Mark-Anthony Turnage is one of the most widely performed composers working today and on 10 June celebrates his 60th birthday. At the Aldeburgh Festival this year, Allan Clayton will give the world premiere of Silenced, a new song cycle commissioned by the festival. Other featured works include Frieze, Owl Songs, Slide Stride, and String Quartet No.4 ‘Winter’s Edge’.
2019
Aldeburgh Festival Round-up
Festival Archive
Take a look through past Aldeburgh Festivals