Tuesday 29th October 2024, 10.30am to 12.30pm

Doors open at 10.00am

Tickets: free entry, but register your interest HERE

Let’s get singing this half-term!

Join award-winning singer, choir leader, and educator Tom Appleton this half term at Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall for a vocal workshop suitable for singers of all ages and abilities.

With music to suit all tastes, high-quality vocal warm-ups, Tom’s infectious enthusiasm and humour, and support from pianist Jonathan Rutherford this promises to be a family-friendly event not to be missed.

The two-hour workshop is free to attend and will culminate in an informal presentation – to which friends and family are very welcome to come – at 12.10pm.

Open to all, but we ask that any under 18s are accompanied by an adult at all times (who are welcome to sing or watch!).

Thursday 31st October 2024, 10.00am to 4.00pm

Doors open at 10.00am

Entry is free and unticketed, but space is limited so there may be short waiting times at various points throughout the day.

A free family event for Halloween.  From witches’ frogs to coiled snakes, scary spiders and ‘mini-beast’ reptiles, you are invited to a Halloween gathering of fantastic beasts and exotic visitors from around the world.  Come and meet an extraordinary collection ofmammals, invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians in a day-long ‘open-house’ with the opportunity to get close up to the animals and learn more about them from Our Animal World’s experts.

There will be a Curiosity Corner of reptile skins, feathers, skeletons, insects in resin, fossils and much more to be explored with our magnifying glasses and microscopes when you’re not getting close to these amazing animals.  Dressing up encouraged!

Open to all, but we ask that any under 18s are accompanied by an adult at all time.

www.ouranimalworld.com
www.facebook.com/OurAnimalWorld22

Friday 1st November 2024 at 7.30pm

Doors & bar open at 7.00pm

Tickets: £15 (21 and under £10)

Tickets are available HERE

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

The year is 1900 – the dawn of a new century. Young Jack Grimes arrives to take up his post as assistant to the keeper of the Toll Point Light, off the coast of East Anglia. 

Isaac Troop has been keeper at Toll Point for 20 years, without the need of an assistant. His self-imposed solitude is threatened by the new arrival – is he there to assist or to replace him? 

Guessing that his bosses at Trinity House have doubts about his mental fitness, he hesitates to tell Grimes about the other inhabitant of the lighthouse, as that would likely mean the end of his career.  But Isaac is not the only one disturbed by the newcomer… 

Ghost of The Toll Point Light, in the context of a good old-fashioned ghost story, also explores questions around why people seek seclusion, as a means of escape or of atonement, or as a way of finding peace or achieving enlightenment. 

A play with music in two acts.

The performance ends at approximately 9.45pm including an interval 

Saturday 2nd November 2024 at 7.30pm

Doors & bar open at 7.00pm

Tickets: £15

Tickets are available HERE

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

El Baldiniho is a comedian and magician with a big bag of props and a bigger stash of one-liners.  Receiving four yeses on Britain’s Got Talent he’s a regular at the major comedy clubs such as the Comedy Store and Glee Clubs.  As well as BGT, TV appearances have included John Bishop’s Britain on BBC One and Channel 4’s The Mad Bad Ad Show.  He headlines a show featuring the finest comedians on the comedy club circuit, sprinkled with local talent taking first steps on the stand-up comedy ladder.  Bookended by El Baldiniho and slots from established comedians, the support acts are mini-sets from the participants on compere Louie Green’s Stand-Up course.  Experienced stars mingle with newcomers in the Jubilee Hall’s traditionally warm and raucously supportive atmosphere.  Come and enjoy experienced comedians at the top of their game and give your raucous support to new local acts – could there be a star of the future amongst them?

Fancy being on stage rather than in the audience?  Find out more about the comedy writing course here  (+ link)

Fancy being on stage rather than in the audience?  Find out more about the comedy writing course here

Seating will be tables and chairs.

The performance ends approx. 9.45pm (including two intervals).

Saturday 9th November 2024 at 7.30pm

Doors & bar open at 7.00pm

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.

Ben Holder is the incredible rising star of Stephane Grappelli-style jazz fiddle, bringing a mix of traditional jazz and swing with a sprinkling of Ben’s own infectious originals harking back to the excitement, energy and abandon of the 1920s and 1930s ‘Hot Club’ era.  He is joined by the trio Jim Watson (piano), Joe Pettitt (bass) and George Double (drums).

Ben Holder is arguably the most gifted jazz violinist in the UK. His classical studies began at the age of six but he was introduced to jazz in his early teens as he discovered Benny Goodman, Oscar Peterson and Stephane Grappelli and he has never looked back. His breathtaking technical ability and true showmanship on stage leave audiences across Europe on their feet and shouting for more.  

“Ben Holder has the warmth and flexibility of a sax player, and all the extra possibilities of a string instrument – lightning speed harmonics, col legno, glissando and double stopping. Chilled and confident, he also has the capacity to switch seamlessly within the same bar from virtuosic violin to vocals.” London Jazz Review 

The performance ends at approximately 9.45pm including an interval. 

Seating for this event is arranged as cabaret tables on the flat, with a mix of four- and two-person tables.

Wednesday 20th November 2024 at 6.00pm

Doors open at 5.30pm

Tickets: £4

Tickets are available HERE

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

This lecture will examine the history of the Atlantic slave trade and its abolition in Britain. It will explain the origins and causes of anti-slavery at the end of the eighteenth century and consider the individuals and groups who led it in Britain. We shall examine both the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 and the emancipation of slaves in the British empire in 1833. Why did Britain come first in the history of anti-slavery? Why was the movement ultimately successful? But why did it take so long?

Professor Lawrence Goldman taught the history of American slavery and emancipation in Oxford for three decades where he specialised in Modern British and American History.  He is the former director the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and of the Institute of Historical Research, University of London.

The event ends at approximately 7.15pm.

Saturday 23rd November 2024, 10.00am – 2.00pm

Free entry

In association with Aldeburgh Town Council.

Come to our Christmas Craft Fair, for fine Christmas crafts, fine Suffolk food and artisan produce.

Discover all kinds of local craft and food makers who come to sell their produce direct to you. This is a friendly market offering an excellent range of high-quality local products.

Festive refreshments will be served.

Stall holders

If you are interested in booking a stall, please contact sam@aldeburghtowncouncil.co.uk

We are open to crafters 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 crafters may be put on a waiting list dependant on other confirmed stall holders and what they offer.

Saturday 23rd November 2024 at 7.30pm

Doors & bar open at 7.00pm

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.

As seen on BBC The One Show, the Sounds of Simon is a tribute to the wonderful music of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, through their years as Simon and Garfunkel, to the successes of both their solo careers.  Exploring the friendship of one of the greatest and most distincitve musical duos that produced songs such as Mrs Robinson, The Sounds of Silence and Bridge Over Troubled Water, the band cover the pair’s solo careers (ou Can Call Me Al, Graceland, and Art’s smash hit, Bright Eyes.) 

Paul and Art are played to perfection, bringing in elements of their famously fractious relationship, as well as replicating the beautiful harmonies flawlessly. With video clips, stories and memories from over a half century of music-making, this multi-media show is packed with wonderful music. 

This is the UK’s longest running tribute to Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, and with its mix of brilliant musicianship, nostalgia and a genuine affection for two stellar musicians, it’s easy to see why. 

www.soundsofsimon.co.uk 

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

Seating for this event is arranged as tables at the front of the hall, with tiered seating behind. 

Sunday 1st December 2024 at 2.30pm & 5pm

Doors & bar open at 2pm and 4.30pm

Tickets: £15 / £7.50

Tickets for 2.30pm show are available HERE

Tickets for 5pm show are available HERE

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

‘The Selfish Giant’

Story by Oscar Wilde

Music by Jonathan Rathbone

When the Giant bans all children from his garden, Summer never comes. Until one day, a strange boy appears, and nothing is quite the same again.

&

‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’

Text by Robert Browning

Music by Jonathan Willcocks

The Town of Hamelin is infested by rats, but what can the Townsfolk do? Until one day, a stranger appears, and nothing is quite the same again.

The children of Jubilee Opera with

Robert Davies The Giant

Katherine Macrae The Pied Piper

Jenny Hall Narrator

&

Ben Parry Conductor

with Jubilee Opera Ensemble

and a group of children from local primary schools

Jubilee Opera was formed in 1987 as a result of a production of Britten’s ‘Noye’s Fludde’ in Aldeburgh Church, the first time it had been performed there. Such was the enthusiasm in the local community that it was decided to start an opera company for young aspiring performers to work with professionals on productions of the highest possible quality and standard. The aim was to give children, with little opportunity elsewhere, the chance to discover their own abilities and to develop their musical and performance skills, thus engendering a lifelong love of the performance arts. This is what lies at the heart of Jubilee Opera’s ethos.

jubileeopera.co.uk

The performance last for approximately 75 minutes, including a 15-minute interval.

Saturday 7th December 2024 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.

Hauntingly atmospheric story-songs for a midwinter’s night. 

The Furrow Collective is a much-loved all-star folk quartet with a unique take on traditional music of England, Scotland and beyond.  With each member an established songwriter, singer and instrumentalist they have crafted a distinctive blend of haunting vocals and string-based instrumentals.  

A decade since their first full-length album, they bring songs from their substantial back catalogue but focus on songs from their most recent album We Know by the Moon, a lunar-themed album of songs set after dark.  “The moon, the stars, darkness and night are threads woven through these songs” they say – “songs to be listened to after dark, by candlelight, firelight, or under the steady light of our constant lunar companion.” 

Their signature sound – exquisite, keening vocals, rich harmonies, understated instrumental accompaniment – is perfect for these captivating story-songs, drawing us in closer to the songs, traditions and culture of our islands. 

The Furrow Collective are Lucy Farrell (viola, voice & saw), Rachel Newton (harp, fiddle, voice), Emily Portman (banjo, concertina, voice) and Alasdair Roberts (guitars, voice). They won 2017 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards ‘Best Group’ and tour extensively throughout the UK as well as in mainland Europe, delighting audiences with their beguiling approach to traditional song. 

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

Seating for this event is arranged as tables at the front of the hall, with tiered seating behind.

Friday 13th December 2024 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.

Star vocalist Joanna Eden and the Chris Ingham Quartet celebrate the season in style with jazzy festive favourites, as featured on the silver screen sung by Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and a host of others. 

The show has sold out Ronnie Scott’s annually for over a decade and is now established as an Aldeburgh Christmas fixture.  The set-list and arrangements may change but the spirit remains the same.  It’s an evening packed with great music, sophisticated swing, superb vocal and instrumental talent, sparkling with an infectious, palpable joy.   

The UK’s answer to Norah Jones and Diana Krall Time Out on Joanna Eden 

Seek her out! Michael Parkinson 

One of the finest combos in the country and a seriously talented vocalist..a great evening that satisfied both jazz and movie buffs. Quite a trick. Jazz Journal 

The performance ends at approx. 9.45pm including an interval

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

Saturday 14th December 2024 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.

Live on stage, television favourites Colin Baker (Doctor Who, The Brothers) and Peter Purves (Blue Peter, The Office) lead the cast in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic. 

“He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge – a squeezing, grasping, covetous, old sinner!” 

On Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge is warned by the ghost of his late partner, Jacob Marley, that he will be visited by three Spirits – Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet To Come. Together they whisk Scrooge to the past and his happy boyhood Christmastimes, to the present to meet Tiny Tim at Bob Cratchit’s Christmas feast, and finally to the future and Scrooge’s own miserable grave – all attempting to show him the error of his ways. But will Scrooge wake on Christmas morning a changed man? 

Presented by the Crime And Comedy Theatre Company as a radio-play-live-on-stage, our setting is a radio studio, our actors ready as if for a radio broadcast, and our sound effects created live, transporting us to Victorian London for this 180th anniversary production of Dickens’ timeless tale of charity, forgiveness and redemption. 

The performance ends at approx. 9.15pm including an interval. 

Friday 20th December 2024 at 7.30pm

Doors & bar open at 7.00pm

Tickets: £15 (21 and under £12)

Tickets are available HERE

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

Following in the fine festive tradition of telling ghostly stories by the fireside, this is an evening of haunting, dark delights set during Christmastide. Our night of seasonal spirits features terrors from some of the finest authors of their age… W. W. Jacobs, Algernon Blackwood and A. M. Burrage.  

In Jerry Bundler patrons gather in a London tavern at Christmastime swapping traditionally terrifying ghost stories, only to discover the establishment itself is haunted.  In Smee some festive parlour games are just the thing to raise some spirits. But it’s always wise to know how many people are hiding in the house before you start trying to seek them.  And finally, in The Kit-Bag packing for the Christmas holidays takes a turn for the worse as a young lawyer finds his recent gruesome trial comes back to haunt him. Bone chilling tales to conjure the spirits of Christmas…  

A one-man performance, directed and haunted by Matthew Wood.

Suitable for ages 10 and above.

Presented by Edwrydian Tales 

The performance ends at approx. 8.50pm. There is no interval.

Wednesday 1st – Thursday 2nd January 2025

Wednesday 1st January 2025, 4.00pm – tickets available HERE

Wednesday 1st January 2025 7.30pm – tickets available HERE

Thursday 2nd January 2025 4.00pm – tickets available HERE

Thursday 2nd January 2025 7.30pm – tickets available HERE

Tickets: £16 (21 and under £10)

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

The Suffolk village of Dangleford is hanging by a thread! As Xmas approaches, its veneer of civility is cracking, like last year’s Yule Log. A series of poison pen letters, signed “The Christmas Fairy”, threaten to expose corruption at the heart of village life. As the mulled wine simmers, old grudges reach boiling point. Even Father Brown’s renowned frosted plums may fail to get the party going! He must use all his wits to stop the midwinter madness snow- balling into… a snowball of terror!

Common Ground present another of their much-loved festive comedy mysteries.

Common Ground Theatre Company have been touring the Eastern region for many years now with their unique brand of music theatre.

“One of the best things on the road in East Anglia right now, the ever-inventive Common Ground…pathos, humanity and dry humour. A proper treat.” – Libby Purves

The performance lasts for approx two hours including an interval.

Saturday 1st February 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.

Charlie Haylock is one of Suffolk’s leading media figures and entertainers.  

An Eccentric Look at Suffolk is unique, hilarious and entertaining look at goings on in rural Suffolk,  characterised by Charlie’s rustic storytelling and informed by a lifetime’s experience of the county and its residents.  He explores Suffolk’s traditions, humour, the accent – and the way Old Suffolkers can just look at people and know exactly what the other is thinking.  

Charlie’s regular slot on BBC Radio Suffolk has made him an instantly recognisable voice and source of wisdom.  He has also been the East Anglian Daily Times’ cartoonist, and was notably the dialect coach for Ralph Fiennes – and others – on the 2021 Netflix hit The Dig, the multiple BAFTA-nominated film telling the story of the Sutton Hoo excavations. 

A sideways look at Suffolk through the voice of its people, explaining a few spoken oddities and why they might not be so odd after all…. 

The event ends at approximately 12.15pm.

Thursday 6th February – 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