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2009 2008  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002  2001  2000  
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 2009

2009 was a busy year for Britten Sinfonia CD releases, in the spring the first release on the Britten Sinfonia own label Songs of the Sky was made, followed by a selection of works by Hindemith. The end of the year saw the release of Handel’s Messiah recorded with Polyphony at St John’s Smith Square in December 2008.

Guest artists in 2009 included Imogen Cooper, Paul Lewis, Pierre Laurent-Aimard, Polyphony, Christopher Hogwood, Katia & Marielle Labèque, Simon Crawford-Phillips, Philip Moore, Lydia & Sanya Biziak, Ludovic Morlot, Henning Kraggerud, Alina Ibragimova, Maggie Cole, Cédric Tiberghien, Oliver Knussen, Ryan Wigglesworth.

In May Britten Sinfonia received the Royal Philharmonic Society Chamber Music Award in recognition of the Britten Sinfonia at Lunch series. The series commissions new works, programmes engaging and lively concerts with world class artists and musicians. Each concert tour in the series travels to Cambridge, Norwich, London, Birmingham and Krakow; the series is also recorded live in Cambridge for broadcast by BBC Radio 3.

A highlight of the summer was Britten Sinfonia’s appearance at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk. Britten Sinfonia was the first classical group to perform at the festival. The orchestra made return performances to the BBC Proms and City of London Festival.

Britten Sinfonia were involved in two exciting projects at London’s Barbican Centre in 2009; the first performing works by iconic composer Moondog and the second working with Danish folk musicians Efterklang.

Another highlight was the Pathenogenesis project, a collaboration between composer James MacMillan, the poet Michael Symmons Roberts, and Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams. An intriguing music-theatre piece which was performed at the Library Studio, Royal Opera House. Britten Sinfonia were also involved with a new opera by Julian Philips, with a libretto by Edward Kemp for The Jerwood Chorus Development Scheme at Glyndebourne.

The autumn brought the opening of the 2009-10 season which has been well received in London, Cambridge and Norwich. The orchestra than went on a very successful tour of Mexico and Spain visiting Morelia, Mexico City and Madrid in late November.

Creative Learning continued their varied work engaging a range of audiences in music and the work of Britten Sinfonia. A highlight of the year was the Great Fen Project. Children from a school in Ramsey and teenagers from Yaxley were involved in creating an audible exhibition inspired by the sounds heard across the Fens. You can read more about it here.

2008

The year began by continuing the 2007-08 season's tours featuring Britten Sinfonia'sacclaimed musicians and guest artists. The orchestra performed in venues spanning the country and beyond, in Cambridge, Norwich, London, Birmingham, Aldeburgh, Leeds, Cockermouth, Southampton, Stevenage, Shrewsbury, Stamford, Bradford on A

von and internationally in Rome (Italy) and Krakow (Poland).

Guest artists included Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Mark Padmore, Carolyn Sampson, Masaaki Suzuki, Imogen Cooper, Joanna MacGregor, Maxim Rysanov, Katie Mitchell, Iestyn Davies and conductors Alec Roth, Diego Masson and Jurjen Hempel. In a truly unique production that attracted a great deal of press and attention, Britten Sinfonia joined the Michael Clark Company for the Stravinsky Project.

The fêted Britten Sinfonia at Lunch series featuring new works by Richard Causton, Helen Grime, Robin Holloway and Pawel Lukaszewski toured to London, Cambridge, Norwich, Birmingham and Krakow as well as being recorded live by BBC Radio 3. The series begins again in November 2008.

The summer saw Britten Sinfonia in many UK Festivals, including the 61st Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts, the 60th Bath International Music Festival, Salisbury International Festival, Chelsea Festival, Lichfield Festival and the Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Later in the year Britten Sinfonia will return to the London Jazz Festival to star in the opening night's events alongside Dhafer Youssef and Joanna MacGregor.

Britten Sinfonia's unique and innovative performances are to be captured on CD, produced by Britten Sinfonia's own record label in conjunction with Signum, and launched early in 2009.

Creative Learning becomes an increasingly integral area of the ensemble's work, reaching concert attenders through pre-concert talks and lectures, as well as schools, universites and businesses in workshops and specialist days with Britten Sinfonia musicians.

In a season highlight Britten Sinfonia joins Polyphony choir under the expert direction of Stephen Layton for Handel's Messiah. This will be the orchestra's second appearance with Polyphony in 2008.

 

2007

The 'Britten Sinfonia at Lunch' tour continued to be recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and the tour expanded to include Krakow (Poland), Aldeburgh, Cambridge and Norwich.  In this series and evening concerts, Britten Sinfonia continued its promotion of new music, featuring new works by Tansy Davies, Huw Watkins, Tarik O'Regan, Brett Dean, Pawel Lukaszewski and John Tavener.

Easter concerts with Polyphony were performed to sell out audiences in Norwich and Cambridge whilst later in the year Britten Sinfonia performed at the London Jazz Festival with Gil Evans directing a remarkable programme based around the works from the Gil Evans and Miles Davis partnership. Guest artists for the season included Imogen Cooper, Alina Ibragimova, Carolyn Sampson, Iestyn Davies, Allan Clayton, Andrew Foster-Williams and Pekka Kuusisto.

In May the orchestra was recognised for its myriad achievements by the Royal Philharmonic Society and awarded the Ensemble Award. This coincided with the orchestra touring to South America with Joanna MacGregor, visiting Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Montevideo. The programme featured works by Bach, Britten, Golijov and Gismonti amongst others and received a rapturous response from audiences. Players took the opportunity to meet the locals in Creative Learning projects. Cambridge University Press supported the trip. This year also saw performances in Poland and Portugal.

Our discography grew in number and acclaim with recordings of Hartmann's Concerto Funébre with Alina Ibragimova, Bairstow's Choral Music and Bruckner's Mass in E minor and Motets. All were named Editor's Choice in Gramophone magazine and received numerous glowing reviews.

Our highly successful series of Lunchtime concerts at West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, was broadcast by BBC Radio 3 over four days from Tuesday 4 April.

Two past projects were revived in April and May: Art of Fugue (renamed Bach meets Moondog) toured to Dartington, Glasgow, Birmingham and Norwich, and our collaboration with Henri Oguike Dance Company played to a sold-out Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Imogen Cooper made her debut with Britten Sinfonia, in performances of Mozart piano concerti.

The entire east end of Bury St Edmunds Cathedral was filled with a huge stage in May, for two performances of Tiger dancing, a collaboration between BS and the Henri Oguike Dance Company. It included new choreography to Tippett's Concerto for Double String Orchestra, in the composer's centenary year.

We launched our first ever lunchtime series, Britten Sinfonia at Lunch, at West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge. The series featured five stunning world premieres by John Woolrich, Jason Yarde, Tristan Rhys Williams, Kenneth Hesketh and Joseph Phibbs alongside other chamber works such as Stravinsky's Octet and Purcell's Fantasias.

Jacqueline Shave was appointed leader in September.

 

 

 

 2004

Nicholas Cleobury stands down as Artistic Director and takes the title Founder Laureate. For up-to-date news on what Nicholas is doing now, please see his website www.nicholascleobury.net

Britten Sinfonia's Easter concerts with Polyphony and Stephen Layton in King's College Chapel and Norwich Cathedral lead to recordings of the two main works in the programme: James MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross and Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna. Both recordings are released next year on Hyperion.

Britten Sinfonia and The Hilliard Ensemble give the UK premiere of Piers Hellawell's The Pear Tree of Nicostratus, along with other vocal and instrumental works on the theme of love and lust. The May tour visited Cambridge and the Salisbury and Chelsea Festivals.

Thomas Adès conducts Britten Sinfonia for the first time at the Aldeburgh Festival in June, in a programme including Harrison Birtwistle's The Fields of Sorrow. The concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.

Britten Sinfonia is invited to play at the distinguished Donauschingen Festival in Germany. The orchestra is invited to dine with the Royal family and to stay overnight in the castle!

The final BBC Proms chamber series from the V&A Museum in London is Britten Sinfonia premiering The Coroner's Report by Simon Holt.

A major tour with Nitin Sawhney takes the ensemble to Brussels and around the UK in the autumn, including a debut at the Royal Festival Hall. The Telegraph comments "The Festival Hall was packed with an audience that whistled and cheered its approval. One felt there was a genuine meeting of minds between the orchestra and the musicians around it".

2003

Tour to Greece with Django Bates followed by a UK tour featuring music by American John Zorn set against cartoon inspired pieces by Janacek, John Adams and John Woolrich.

Following a national review of the chamber orchestra sector, Arts Council England announces 100% increase in Britten Sinfonia’s funding.

Britten Sinfonia nominated for two Royal Philharmonic Society awards: best large ensemble and best concert series (for its 2002/03 concert series in Cambridge and Norwich).

John Zorn pictured above

Performance at the prestigious George Enescu Festival in Bucharest follows concerts in Brussels and Brugge.

Britten Sinfonia in 2003

2002

Celebrations for the orchestra’s 10th Anniversary begin with a national tour featuring Evelyn Glennie, including performances in Cambridge, Norwich and Chelmsford, cities all closely linked with the orchestra’s development. This is what the Times said in their preview of the tour:

“Britten Sinfonia, ten years old this autumn, is not only the East of England’s ‘house’ band. It is also one of a new breed of orchestras. They are unfettered by tradition, because they have none. They run risks because they have discovered that, contrary to decades of received music-business wisdom, it is risks that pull crowds. And they are truly post-modern in outlook. They mix and match their programmes with an outrageous glee that would horrify the venerable Philharmonics."

Orchestra wins Anglia TV’s “Best Arts Event” for Light & Shade coinciding with a CD release of music from the tour for the Sound Circus label.

John Woolrich succeeds David Matthews as Composer in Association. Joanna MacGregor and Nicholas Daniel appointed Associate Artistic Directors.

Britten Sinfonia outgrows King’s Parade offices. Team of eight staff move to new offices in Sturton Street, Cambridge.

2001

Premiere of Parthenogenesis, a new work by James MacMillan, who conducts the performance featuring soprano Lisa Milne, baritone Christopher Purves and actor Anastasia Hille.

Debut at the Edinburgh International Festival, with further performances of Parthenogenesis and a portrait concert of music by Stuart MacRae.

Britten Sinfonia returns to the Proms with Ian Bostridge, this time performing Britten’s Nocturne, and also in the chamber Proms with Sam West narrating Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale.

Following success of Django Bates tour, Joanna MacGregor is invited to work with the orchestra. She directs a 10 date tour – Light and Shade - featuring music by Arvo Pärt, Lou Harrison, Schnittke and a new work from Nitin Sawhney. The tour is featured in a Joanna MacGregor South Bank Show profile for LWT.

Britten Sinfonia Community & Education organises major projects in Cambridge, Norwich, Chelmsford and Luton, including after school music clubs for young people – Inside Out - funded by the Foundation for Youth Music.

Jonathan Barclay, Senior Partner at Mills & Reeve, succeeds Charles Barrington as Chairman.

2000

UK tour with Django Bates and his jazz group Human Chain. Django Bates writes a new work to celebrate the Millenium – 2000 Years beyond UNDO. Concerts also feature Joanna MacGregor peforming the Ligeti Piano Concerto.

Britten Sinfoina’s first tour to Germany includes performances at Munich’s Gasteig and Frankfurt’s Alte Oper.

1999

Britten Sinfonia makes its BBC Proms debut, featuring a new symphony by David Matthews, Mozart’s ‘Prague’ Symphony and Ian Bostridge performing Britten’s Les Illuminations.

1998

Landmark concert series Frank Zappa and the Fathers of Invention, setting Zappa’s music against Bach, Stravinsky, Varese, Ives and Steve Reich. Sell-out performances given “in the round” in the Cambridge Corn Exchange attract a wide audience, with 80% attending their first “classical” music concert. This initiative is followed up later in the year with trumpeter Guy Barker performing music from the Gil Evans/Miles Davies albums, set alongside Stravinsky and ‘big band’ arrangements of Dunstable and Gesualdo.

Launch of a new concert series in Norwich in partnership with the Norfolk & Norwich Festival. Nicholas Daniel conducts the first concert, an all-Mozart programme.

David Matthews appointed as Britten Sinfonia’s first Composer in Association. His first work, Burnham Wick, given in Birmingham for BBC Radio 3.

1997

Britten Sinfonia awarded £150,000 from the Arts Council’s Arts for Everyone scheme for the development of its work in the East of England.

First of several discs for Classic FM’s new label are made, featuring Britten Sinfonia musicians. Nicholas Daniel, Joy Farrall and Kate Hill record Mozart’s oboe, clarinet and flute concerti respectively.

“The finest performances from British soloists I’ve heard in a decade” Norman Lebrecht, Daily Telegraph

1996

Orchestra works with tenor Ian Bostridge for the first time, with a young Daniel Harding conducting. This successful collaboration leads to other concerts and an EMI recording of Britten repertoire including Our Hunting Fathers.

Germaine Greer joins Britten Sinfonia’s board. Administrative staff increases to 5 people, requiring a move to new offices on King’s Parade, Cambridge.

1995

Britten Sinfonia’s debut CD is released to critical acclaim, featuring David Pyatt in the Strauss Horn Concertos and the Duet-concertino and Serenade for Wind Op.7. It wins a Gramophone Award.

1994

Debut at the South Bank Centre brings further critical acclaim.

“This is undoubtedly an orchestra of which we are going to hear a lot more” The Independent

“A major force not only in East Anglia, but in the musical life of the nation” The Times

The number of concerts increases from 12 in 1993 to 27 in 1994, including the orchestra’s first foreign tour, a residency at the Wratislava Cantans Festival in Poland. Televised concerts include works by Tippett (Symphony No.1 and A Child of Our Time) and Panufnik (Universal Prayer). Chelmsford appoint Britten Sinfonia ‘Orchestra in Residence’.

Michael Tippett's A Child of our Time

Britten Sinfonia celebrates the 50th anniversary of Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time in London’s Adelphi Theatre where it was premièred in the presence of the composer.

1993

Britten Sinfonia’s part in Jonathan Miller’s production of Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos provides the orchestra’s first critical success.

Following a grant from the Foundation for Sport and the Arts, Britten Sinfonia appoints its first Education Manager to foster a community and outreach programme alongside its concerts. 

1992

Britten Sinfonia in 1992

Britten Sinfonia launches following an initiative from Eastern Arts and a number of key figures including Nicholas Cleobury, who recognise the need for a world class orchestra in the East of England. Britten Sinfonia reflects Benjamin Britten’s artistic vision: a commitment to early music as well as new music, to music education and music performance of the highest quality, a commitment to the East of England and an ambassadorial role on the world stage.

Nicholas Cleobury becomes Artistic Director, and the first concert took place in Chelmsford featuring a mixed programme of works by Bach, Copland, Stravinsky and Colin Matthews, illustrating the new ensemble’s commitment to a broad range of entertaining repertoire.

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