Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub are delighted to partner with Britten Pears Arts to offer this exciting schools concert at Snape Maltings.
Featuring two of Benjamin Britten’s most joyful and energetic works, this concert offers a lively introduction to the orchestra alongside a celebratory piece written especially for young voices.
About the programme
In the final two years of his life, Benjamin Britten experienced an extraordinary burst of creativity. Despite serious illness, he composed some of his most vibrant and enduring works.
One of these was Welcome Ode, written for the Queen’s visit to Ipswich in her Jubilee Year in 1977. Scored for children’s voices and orchestra, it is one of Britten’s most upbeat works, full of bright, outdoor energy.
The programme also includes Britten’s famous Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Based on a theme by Henry Purcell, the piece introduces every section of the orchestra as each instrument takes its turn to play the melody, sometimes solo and sometimes in imaginative combinations.
Britten was reportedly so delighted with the first recording that he bounced up and down with excitement. Audiences may feel the same, especially with a brand-new narration by acclaimed actor Rory Kinnear.
Event details
Date: Monday 15 June 2026
Time: 11:00am
Location: Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Snape, Suffolk IP17 1SP
Duration: 60 minutes
Cost: Free to schools
Age suitability: Year 6 and above
Performers
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Rory Kinnear – narrator
Ryan Wigglesworth – conductor
Programme
Benjamin Britten
Welcome Ode, for young people’s chorus and orchestra, Op.95 (9 minutes)
Benjamin Britten
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op.34 (17 minutes)
With English subtitles.
Register
- Please note we have 300 seats on offer free of charge to schools. These will be allocated in order of sign up.
- You can book a maximum of 60 students spaces and 8 adult spaces per school.
- You will be notified by Friday 1st May if you have been successful in securing seats.
