SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Aldeburgh’s new Music Development Plan : a report by Anne Ozorio (AO)

“With dramatic landscapes, soaring skies and a rich musical history, Aldeburgh is a haven for creativity, a place where artists from around the world have found inspiration and reached their full potential since the days of Benjamin Britten.”

The Aldeburgh Festival is but one of the many initiatives Britten and Pears bequeathed to posterity. They were equally passionate about creating a musical community away from the pressures of London where musicians could find creative support. They had a vision that Aldeburgh should be “a place of inspiration and energy for music and the Arts”.  The Aldeburgh Music Development Plan aims, no less, to create the first dedicated campus in Europe where the most talented artists from around the world can realise their full potential and connect to a wider public.

For decades, part of the Britten-Pears legacy has been a series of initiatives where established artists can find a creative haven, and young musicians can come to learn and perform in a supportive environment. Being away from the pressures of London is no disadvantage as in a community where creative endeavour is positively nurtured.  The Aldeburgh Music Development Plan draws together initiatives like the Aldeburgh Residencies, the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme, the two Britten Pears Orchestras and the Hesse Student Scheme.  Together these ventures have been a wonderful nesting place for British and international talent Those who have participated, as students and as teachers include Thomas Adès, Philip Langridge, Roger Vignoles, Simon Keenlyside, Oliver Knussen and Luke Bedford.

Such dreams need facilities. The Plan includes four new studios.  There will be a large studio, seating 340, with excellent acoustics so it can be used for recording. The historic kiln at Snape is being restored for use in flexible configurations, suited to chamber music and theatre. It’s funded by the Jerwood Foundation. Two more rehearsal studios are being built, with ancillary facilties. The Maltings once thrived as a brewery, exporting all round the coast, even as far as the Baltic. Now it will thrive again, with a brew of a very different sort. The Aldeburgh Music Development Pan could make Suffolk a unique, and thriving new centre for music in Europe. This vision needs support.  Here is how you can find out more and help :

http://www.aldeburgh.co.uk/developmentplan/index.html

Prince Charles recently donned a hard hat and visited the site.  But anyone can participate, from as little as £7 a month over 3 years. This is a great opportunity for donors or groups of donors to support a venture that really will make a difference to the cultural life of this country.

Anne Ozorio


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