Thursday 20th February 2025, 10:00 – 12:00 and 14.00 to 16:00

Doors open at 10:00am for the morning performance

Doors open at 2.00pm for the afternoon performance

The 10am session has now SOLD OUT

The 2pm session has now SOLD OUT

Please book a ticket for every person attending even if you are just watching. 

Come and get creative at Brickologists’ Fun Day with Lego including a timed Brickoff LEGO Challenge with prizes for the best model, a ‘free build’ area, Bionicles, Duplo, car building with  downhill racetracks and a mini figure hunt with prizes. 

The Brickoff Lego Challenge is open to everybody from 4 – 99+ with prizes going to the best models made.  Please note adult supervision is required during the event 

​Everyone who takes part will go home with a small something!

All Lego prizes are donated by Brickologists, Young Engineers.  

Further information here FUN DAYS WITH LEGO | brickologists  

Friday 21st February 2025 at 12pm 

Doors open at 11.30am

Tickets: £12.00 (under 30s half price)

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE

Alternatively from Britten Pears Arts’ box office at Snape Maltings Concert Hall or by calling 01728 687110.

Each Friday from January to April we welcome some of the best young ensembles from the UK and abroad to Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall for Britten Pears Arts’ Friday Lunchtime Concert series.

Friday 28th February 2025 at 12pm 

Doors open at 11.30am

Tickets: £12.00 (under 30s half price)

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE

Alternatively from Britten Pears Arts’ box office at Snape Maltings Concert Hall or by calling 01728 687110.

Each Friday from January to April we welcome some of the best young ensembles from the UK and abroad to Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall for Britten Pears Arts’ Friday Lunchtime Concert series.

Friday 28th February 2025 at 7.30pm

Doors & bar open at 7.00pm

Tickets: £20

Tickets are available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Budapest Café Orchestra play gypsy and folk-flavoured music in a refreshingly unique way. Evoking vivid images of fiddle maestros, Budapest café life and gypsy campfires it’s a hugely entertaining blend of virtuosity, profound musicianship and infectious energy.   

With 15 albums to their name, the quartet create an astonishing soundscape and aural alchemy combining violin, guitar, accordion, double bass, saz, balalaika, domra and percussion to dazzling effect. Whether in Hungarian, Balkan and Russian traditional music or their artful distillations of Romantic masterworks to soaring Gaelic folk anthems, BCO is a musical experience like no other. It is enough to make you want to book that holiday down the Danube!    

Two of the country’s celebrated international soloists revel at the heart of proceedings. Accordionist Eddie Hession is a supreme accordion champion of Great Britain. In his illustrious career he has accompanied Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Chris Rea.  Christian Garrick is one of the world’s most celebrated jazz violinists. He has played music with Dame Cleo Laine & Sir John Dankworth, Wynton Marsalis, Nigel Kennedy, Bireli Lagrene, Tim Minchin, Caro Emerald and John Etheridge. They are joined by one of Russia’s most enigmatic musical exports, Adrian Zolotuhin – a master of the strummed strings of domra, balalaika, guitar and saz – and veteran bassist Kelly Cantlon who first found fame with Northern Soul sensations Jimmy James and the Vagabonds.   

“Not so much a band as a whole genre of its own, Budapest Café Orchestra embraces an encyclopaedia of music and mischief.”  The Scotsman 

“the fiery vivacity and awe-inspiring musicianship of the finest purveyors of Eastern European gypsy music this side of a Lada scrap heap will leave you with a grin on your face and rhythm in your feet…”  The TImes 

The performance ends at approx. 9.30pm including an interval. 

Wednesday 5th March 2025 at 7.30pm

Doors & bar open at 7.00pm

Tickets: £25

Tickets are available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Singer and instrumentalist, actor and presenter Paul Jones has been a household name since the 1960s.  He was lead singer for Manfred Mann, founder and leader of The Blues Band, star of stage and screen and presenter of the BBC Radio 2 Blues programme for 32 years. He is the voice of worldwide hits Do Wah Diddy Diddy, 5-4-3-2-1 and Pretty Flamingo.  He still tours regularly with former bandmates as The Manfreds. 
 
Joined by the all-star band of guitarist Denny Ilett (a regular at Ronnie Scott’s with his Electric Lady Big Band) plus Jazz@Jubilee regulars Jim Watson (keyboards) and George Double (drums), Paul presents an intimate evening of rhythm and blues classics, original material and gems from the Manfred Mann and Blues Band back catalogues.  For blues & jazz fans this is an unmissable visit from  one of the great blues musicians. 

The performance ends at approximately 9.30pm including an interval. 

Seating for this event is arranged as a mixture of raked seating, and cabaret tables on the flat.

Thursday 6th to Sunday 9th March 2025

A varied and interesting programme of talks and interviews on a wide range of topics covering social history, economics, biography and fiction.

Programme announce and tickets on sale from early January only from The Aldeburgh Bookshop - www.aldeburghbookshop.co.uk. 

Presented by Aldeburgh Bookshop 

Friday 14th March 2025 at 12pm 

Doors open at 11.30am

Tickets: £12.00 (under 30s half price)

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE

Alternatively from Britten Pears Arts’ box office at Snape Maltings Concert Hall or by calling 01728 687110.

Each Friday from January to April we welcome some of the best young ensembles from the UK and abroad to Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall for Britten Pears Arts’ Friday Lunchtime Concert series.

Friday 21st March 2025 at 12pm 

Doors open at 11.30am

Tickets: £12.00 (under 30s half price)

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE

Alternatively from Britten Pears Arts’ box office at Snape Maltings Concert Hall or by calling 01728 687110.

Each Friday from January to April we welcome some of the best young ensembles from the UK and abroad to Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall for Britten Pears Arts’ Friday Lunchtime Concert series.

Saturday 22nd March 2025 at 11.00am

Doors open at 10.30am

Tickets: £10 (including a free tea or coffee)

Tickets are available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

“Why not make our own festival?  Why not have an Aldeburgh Festival”.  Peter Pears’ words are inscribed on our doors.  It was a suggestion readily embraced by his partner Benjamin Britten and from its inception in 1948, Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall was at the centre of this remarkable undertaking.   For the Festival’s first two decades, before the construction of Snape Maltings Concert Hall, it was the Festival’s major venue, and continued to play a significant part thereafter.  These walls have ears; the hall  played host to an array of events including premieres of Britten’s music and an astonishing array of some of the leading figures in twentieth century music.  Dr Nicholas Clark, Librarian at Britten’s former home The Red House, traces the history of Britten, Pears and Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall, the music they performed here and their notable musical guests. 

The event ends at approximately 12.00pm.

Saturday 22nd March, 7.30pm

Doors open at 6.30pm

Tickets: £18

Friday 28th March 2025 at 12pm 

Doors open at 11.30am

Tickets: £12.00 (under 30s half price)

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE

Alternatively from Britten Pears Arts’ box office at Snape Maltings Concert Hall or by calling 01728 687110.

Each Friday from January to April we welcome some of the best young ensembles from the UK and abroad to Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall for Britten Pears Arts’ Friday Lunchtime Concert series.

Friday 4th April 2025 at 12pm 

Doors open at 11.30am

Tickets: £12.00 (under 30s half price)

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE

Alternatively from Britten Pears Arts’ box office at Snape Maltings Concert Hall or by calling 01728 687110.

Each Friday from January to April we welcome some of the best young ensembles from the UK and abroad to Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall for Britten Pears Arts’ Friday Lunchtime Concert series.

Saturday 5th April 2025 at 7.30pm

Doors & bar open at 7.00pm

Tickets: £20

Tickets are available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Brentwood Mac is a charismatic band dedicated to bringing the timeless melodies of Fleetwood Mac to life. Their repertoire spans all eras of Fleetwood Mac, and their attention to detail in capturing the nuances of each era ensures an authentic and unforgettable experience for audiences.    

From the haunting vocals of Stevie Nicks to the driving rhythms of Mick Fleetwood, Brentwood Mac pays homage to every member of Fleetwood Mac. Whether you’re a fan or a new listener, Brentwood Mac promises a night of captivating music that’s sure to leave you wanting more!  

Following a string of sell-out shows, early booking is essential! 

The performance ends at approx. 9.45pm including an interval. 

Sunday 6th April 2025 at 2.30pm

Doors & bar open at 2.00pm

Tickets: £15 (students and under 16s free)

Tickets are available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Programme to include Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, Eric Coates’ Calling All Workers, music by ‘The Waltz King’ Johann Strauss II, selections from the hit musicals Wicked!, Chicago and La-La Land and excerpts from film scores including 633 Squadron and Schindler’s List.

The Suffolk Concert Band is looking forward to playing at the Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall with great anticipation.  They bring a programme entitled Commemorate and Celebrate.  The former is marking the end of hostilities in 1945 and will include a rare performance of William Alwyn’s Desert Victory.  The work is from music written for the film of the same name about the success of the Allies over Rommel and the Afrika Korps in North Africa in 1943.  The celebratory element of the programme will bring the very best scores from musical theatre to the concert platform and includes music from the recently released film of Wicked.

The band is delighted to welcome Duke Dobing back to direct at this concert.  Duke brings incredible experience and insight to the repertoire from his long career as Principal Flute of the City of London Sinfonia and as a soloist throughout the UK and internationally.  He last directed the band in 2017 and at the time was instrumental in guiding its musical course during that fiftieth anniversary year helping launch their celebratory CD recording SCB at 50.

This concert has been made possible with the generous support of The William Alwyn Foundation.

www.suffolkconcertband.org.uk
www.williamalwyn.co.uk

Aaron Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man

Ron Goodwin: 633 Squadron

Nigel Hess: Barnes Wallis March

William Alwyn: Desert Victory Suite

John Williams: Schindler’s List

Eric Coates: Elizabeth of Glamis from The Three Elizabeths Suite, Calling all Workers

Kenneth J. Alford: Colonel Bogey

Stephen Schwartz: Wicked

John Kander and Fred Ebb: Chicago

Justin Hurwitz: La La Land

Johann Strauss: Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, Thunder and Lightning Polka, Voices of Spring

The performance ends at approximately 4.30pm 

Presented by Suffolk Concert Band 

Thursday 10th April 2025, 2.00 – 4.30pm

Doors open at 1.30pm

Tickets: £5

Tickets are available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Create your own short animated film in an afternoon.  Unleash your imagination and harness the power of stop-motion animation with a taster session from Suffolk’s I Made This.  Suitable for children 8-18, materials including software, screens and laptops are provided and a team of experts and educators are on hand to guide you in all things animation.  Participants will be able to take away their work on a memory stick to keep. 

Tickets should be booked for children only. Adults can drop children and collect at 4.30pm, or stay to watch if they wish. The cafe will be open for refreshments. 

Friday 11th April 2025 at 12pm 

Doors open at 11.30am

Tickets: £12.00 (under 30s half price)

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE

Alternatively from Britten Pears Arts’ box office at Snape Maltings Concert Hall or by calling 01728 687110.

Each Friday from January to April we welcome some of the best young ensembles from the UK and abroad to Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall for Britten Pears Arts’ Friday Lunchtime Concert series.

Friday 11th April 2025 at 7.30pm

Doors & bar open at 7.00pm

Tickets: £20

Tickets are available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Appearances TV shows including Live At The Apollo and Have I Got News For You makes Ignacio the most recognisable…but perhaps the only Welsh-Spanish standup.  His family is made up of Spanish, Welsh, Irish, Moroccan, and Germans. Family get-togethers are like a meeting of the UN.   

Droll, deadpan, charming and charismatic, his sharp, warm and honest material has led to his videos receiving over 100 million views worldwide. It’s easy to see why.  There’s no-one better placed to point out the foibles and idiosyncrasies of the British than this charming insider/outsider and audiences can’t seem to get enough of him. Branded Spain’s Best Export by the Spanish Embassy and Office of Culture in the UK, he is one of the British scene’s fastest-rising stars.  

Support comes from Ant Dewson, comedian-singer-pianist and Alexis Roy, with her refreshingly unique slant on parenthood, marriage and increasingly awkward family encounters. Compered by Aldeburgh Comedy Club’s own genial host Louie Green, this is a packed evening of the very best stand-up comedy. 

The seating is a mix of tables/chairs at the front, and raked seating towards the back of the auditorium.

The performance lasts 2 hrs 15 mins including two intervals. 

Saturday 12th April 2025 at 8.00pm

Doors & bar open at 7.30pm

Tickets: £18

Tickets are available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

With exact replica instruments and costumes Imagine…The Beatles adopt the sound, look and even the persona of each of the Fab Four.  Faithfully recreating all the biggest hits they take us on a journey from the early Cavern days, through Beatlemania and onto Abbey Rd – a Magical Mystery Tour you won’t want to miss.  

The event ends approx. 10.15pm (incl. interval).

Saturday 19th April 2025 at 11.00am

Doors open at 10.30am

Tickets: £10 (including a free tea or coffee)

Tickets are available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

From the howling winds of Skye to the fen-sucked fogs of East Anglia, explore the power and beauty of British weather in all its wild and stormy forms. 

In All Weathers takes us from the howling winds of Skye to the fen-sucked fogs of East Anglia, as Matt Gaw embarks on a series of walks across Britain – through rain, fog, wind, ice and snow – to look again at our most widely accessed experience of the natural world. He explores the science of weather, the ways it is changing, its impact on our psychology and culture, and how we can embrace it as a positive presence in our lives.  

It’s time to throw open the doors, window and soul to the inspiring wildness of weather. 

The event ends at approximately 12.00pm.

Friday 25th April 2025 at 7.30pm

Doors & bar open at 7.00pm

Tickets: £20

Tickets are available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Roger McGough, President of the Poetry Society not only helped kickstart the musical careers of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, but inspired hundreds, if not thousands of young poets (well, quite a few), on their poetic journeys. 

87 years old and at that awkward age now between birth and death, he puts on a brave face and takes to the stage with a show featuring new poems as well as old favourites. 

The show takes audiences on a journey back to key moments of his life. McGough reflects on his Liverpool childhood just before World War II, with memories and poems including The Full English, The Overall Winner and Learning to Read. Memories of his mum and dad are told through poems The Railing and What Does Your Father Do, and some are a throwback to the ’60s, namely The Beatles and Top of the Pops. 

New verses have been added for Lily the Pink, which take a playful update on the 1968 classic by The Scaffold. As well as laughs, there will be poems about growing old. A Joy to be Old, A Cure for Ageing and Let me Die an Old Man’s Death, which aptly round up the new show. 

Roger will be signing copies of the 2024 release The Collected Poems after the performance. 

“This triumphant anthology stuns with its sheer variety…There is something here for everyone” The Guardian on The Collected Poems 1959-2024 

“McGough is a true original and more than one generation would be much the poorer without him.” The Times 

“The patron saint of poetry.” Carol Ann Duffy 

The performance ends at approx. 9.30pm including an interval. 

Saturday 3rd May 2025

7.30pm

Tickets: £18

Tickets available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Written by Hannah Kumari

Directed by Mandeep Glover

Sophia Duleep Singh was born into royalty and grew up to be a revolutionary. This Spring, Eastern Angles sheds light on her extraordinary story in Sophia.

Sophia’s father was the last Maharajah of Punjab, dethroned by the British as a child and exiled to England. The family made a home in Elveden in Suffolk, until bankruptcy and a new mistress swayed the dispossessed Maharajah to make a secret new life abroad and plot to take back his kingdom.

Back in England, the young Princess faces years of loss and mourning before embarking on a lifechanging journey to her family’s homeland in India. Returning with a bold new sense of bravery, Sophia uses her status to become a beacon in the fight for women’s suffrage and Indian independence.

This epic new drama tells the story of an unknown lioness of women’s suffrage and her part in some of the defining moments of British Indian history.

The performance ends at around 9.30pm

Sunday 4th May 2025

2.30pm (Doors & Bar open at 2pm)

Tickets: £15

Tickets available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

The Vibettes are delighted to bring their lively, uplifting show ‘Sing For Victory!’ to The Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall, as they record these VDiscs- Just for you!
Paying homage to the songs and sweethearts of the wartime years, The Vibettes bring up-tempo swing beats and rousing patriotic melodies as we salute the songs that boosted morale to help win the war.
Delivering warm, uplifting character performances and those close vocal harmonies so reminiscent of the era, The Vibettes celebrate the sound of beloved artists such as Vera Lynn, The Andrews Sisters, Anne Shelton, Glenn Miller, Gracie Fields, Flanagan & Alan and many more!
Featuring songs such as ‘In The Mood’, ‘Run Rabbit Run’, ‘A wing & A Prayer’, ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, ‘One Meat Ball’, ‘ The Washing on the Siegfried Line’, ‘Sentimental Journey’ and many, many more!. With audience participation and a few laughs on the way, you’ll be swept away in a wonderful afternoons entertainment that will have you singing along and boogie-woogieing in your seats.

Seating will be at tables.

Thursday 8th May 2025

6pm (Doors & Bar open at 5.30pm)

Tickets: £15

Tickets available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Sarah Small viola da gamba

Viola da gamba player Sarah Small is on a mission to demonstrate how touring can be done differently.

Disillusioned by the lack of support for sustainable touring within the arts, along with concerns about the impact and cost of audience travel from rural areas to venues in cities, she’s taking matters into her own hands and cycling from venue to venue to share her programme Good Again? with audiences far and wide.

Centred around the title work Good Againe by Tobias Hume, this programme for solo viola da gamba features music expressing the feelings of grief, contemplation, and hope felt by many of us during these unstable times, along with tales from the road that remind us of the beauty in slow travel. The programme includes Marais’ Les Voix Humaines (the human voice), Forqueray’s La Girouette (the weather vane), Sainte-Colombe’s Les Pleurs (the tears) and Hume’s galvanising The Spirit of Gambo.

Sarah also plays a specially commissioned piece by composer Lillie Harris, pondering our wish to return to what was before and whether the future can, in fact, be brighter.

The seating is unallocated. The performance is 75 minutes with no interval.  

Saturday 10th May – Sunday 11th May 2025

Saturday 10 May, 3pm: ‘Savitri’ & ‘The Wandering Scholar’ by Gustav Holst / Tickets £40 available HERE

Sunday 11 May, 12 noon: Open Rehearsal led by Dame Felicity Palmer / Tickets £20 available HERE

Sunday 11 May, 5pm: A recital of works focusing on Imogen Holst / Tickets £40 available HERE

‘Tomorrow shall be my dancing day’

Cameratina is hosting a weekend celebrating the music of Gustav and Imogen Holst.

Gustav needs no introduction, although his operas are less well -known. Conversely, Imogen, his daughter, is only now becoming established as a fine composer in her own right.

Susanna Stranders of the Royal Opera House has created the programme, working with Dame Felicity Palmer, who has not only recorded works by Gustav Holst but also worked alongside Imogen Holst.

Four young opera singers will explore the Holsts’ music, performing two of Gustav’s short operas, Savitri and The Wandering Scholar. This will be a matinee.

The singers will also support Dame Felicity in a Recital of works by Imogen and her contemporaries. The performances will be accompanied throughout by the Ellipsis Ensemble.

The operas will be co-directed by Dame Felicity and Nick Fowler.

Dame Felicity will also lead an Open Rehearsal, giving the audience a ‘behind-the-scenes’ insight into the delightful subtleties of Imogen’s music.

Further information is at www.cameratina.org

Tickets available through the links above, by phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Saturday 17th May 2025, 10am – 1pm

Free entry

Come to our Spring Farmers Market, for fine Suffolk produce and crafts.

This is a friendly market offering an excellent range of high-quality local produce and products.

Stall holders

If you are interested in booking a stall, please contact manager@aldeburghjubileehall.co.uk.

We are open to producers who operate within a 25-mile radius of Aldeburgh.

No re-sellers please, only primary producers.

Spaces will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis, and producers may be put on a waiting list dependant on other confirmed stall holders and what they offer.

Sunday 18th May, 4pm

Doors open at 3.30pm

Tickets: £15.50 (free for under 12s) available HERE

Join the Suffolk Chamber Orchestra for a captivating afternoon of classical music by the sea.

This fresh, dynamic and exciting new ensemble presents an afternoon of timeless masterpieces, featuring Benjamin Britten’s lively Simple Symphony, Elgar’s elegant Serenade for Strings, and Mozart’s joyful Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

This concert marks their debut at the Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh, set next to the stunning Suffolk coastline – this is an ensemble you won’t want to miss.
A real must for music lovers of all ages!

1 hour concert with no interval

Tickets available through the link above, by phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Saturday 24th May 2025

7.30pm (Doors & Bar open at 7pm)

Tickets: £15

Tickets available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

There is nothing quite like the sound of a Big Band.

Horn Factory perform an impressive and extensive range of contemporary big band jazz by composers such as Buddy Rich, , Maynard Ferguson, James Morrison, Bobby Shew, Thelonious Monk, Chuck Mangione, Chick Corea and many more!

An evening of fast moving, hard hitting, toe tapping jazz from a spectacular 18-piece big band that features soloists and ensemble players from around East Anglia.

The seating is a mix of tables at the front and tiered seating

Friday 30th May, 7.30pm

Doors open at 7pm

Tickets: £8 available HERE

Saturday 31st May, 7.30pm

Doors open at 7pm

Tickets £15 available HERE

A DOLL’S HOUSE, PART 2

BY LUCAS HNATH

At the end of Ibsen’s classic, ground breaking 1879 play, A Doll’s House Nora walks out on her marriage, home and young children.

Playwright Lucas Hnath builds on Ibsen’s seminal work by imagining what happens when Nora returns years later with an urgent request.

Old School Theatre Company presents Hnath’s rich, stand alone sequel, eloquently exploring traditional gender roles and social class still inherent in today’s society.

A Doll’s House, Part 2 received its UK premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, London in 2022.

Tickets available through the links above, by phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

Saturday 7th June 2025

7.30pm (Doors & Bar open at 7pm)

Tickets: £20. Seating will be at tables

Tickets available HERE

By phoning 01728 454022, or in person Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-12pm at the AJH corner office.

“One of the tiny handful of undeniably perfect jazz musicians” The Observer

Saxophonist Art Themen has been an engaging and inventive presence on the British jazz circuit for over 60 years. This living legend has played in the bands of Alexis Korner and Stan Tracey as well as on recordings with Joe Cocker, Jack Bruce and even Bing Crosby. Recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Worshipful Company of Musicians and shortlisted for the Jazz Instrumentalist of the year in the recent Parliamentary Jazz Awards, he remains as brilliant and inimitable as ever, with his trio featuring organist Pete Whittaker, formerly of The Nigel Price Organ Trio, and drummer George Double who has worked as sideman to Shirley Bassey and Jack Jones. The band’s groove-led re-imaginings of quirky curiosities from the jazz canon are a perfect vehicle for the twinkly mischief of this genuine grandee of British jazz and have delighted crowds at major London jazz venues including Ronnie Scotts, and across the UK. The Trio’s third album Live In Soho is released on Ubuntu Music and captures a magical night at PizzaExpressLive in Dean Street in August 2023.

For tonight’s concert, the trio are joined by pianist Jim Watson. Jim is co-promoter of Jazz@Jubilee and has worked with Sting, the BBC Big Band, the BBC’s ‘Strictly’ band and of course…Wet, Wet, Wet.

“A perfectly melded unit… A masterclass in tenor technique” Jazz Journal
“One of the most distinguished trios on Britain’s scene today” Jazz Rag
“the total performance a joy” Jazzwise

Watch the trio in action here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdANh6fOqvI

Monday 16th June 2025 at 10.30am 

Doors open at 10am

Tickets: £15, £12.50; under 30s half price

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE

A fascinating morning of expert discussion and creative writing inspired by the idea of North, and the music of Helen Grime and Gavin Higgins that brings it to life.

… I come
From a land of poems trudged across the fells
Like coffins … (Katie Hale, from Offcomer)

In a special conversation chaired by Northumbria University historian Professor Julian Wright, Gavin Higgins will be joined by artists including poet Katrina Porteous and singer Claire Booth to discuss the way words and music have come together in this new song book, and to continue the conversation about our contemporary sense of northern-ness and the notions of living at the margins.

In Gavin Higgins’ new work Speak of the North, poetry and music are woven with the sound of the folk violin – the Hardanger fiddle which once inspired the Norwegian composer Grieg in his exploration of the sound world of historic Norway. Inspired by the way Grieg deepened his appreciation of landscape and history through folk resonance, Claire Booth and Christopher Glynn asked Gavin to develop a new English song book, one that resonates in its own folk-inspired sound world, seeking out the rhythm and beauty of a contemporary English north and bringing that to life in words and music.

With its beautifully curated selection of contemporary poetry, the song book explores “northern-ness” as we might find it at the borders of England, in the derelict farms or mines of the Pennines, or the lonely heart of northern towns. This is a world where our minds are drawn to the border, to places where our own solitariness aches for space and music.

Claire Booth soprano
Gavin Higgins composer
Katrina Porteous poet
Prof Julian Wright historian

Friday 20th June 2025 at 11am 

Doors open at 10.30am

Tickets: £23, £17.50; under 30s half price

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE

Thursday 26th June 2025 at 10.30am 

Doors open at 10am

Tickets: £15, £12.50; under 30s half price

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE

Friday 27th June 2025 at 11am 

Doors open at 10.30am

Tickets: £23, £17.50; under 30s half price

Tickets are available from Britten Pears Arts’ website HERE