Aldeburgh Music Club was founded in 1952 by Benjamin Britten along with his long time partner Peter Pears. It has evolved over the years into one of East Anglia's leading choral societies with over ninety members and supported by more than 120 patrons. The choir rehearses at the Jubilee Hall Aldeburgh on Tuesday evenings from September to May. Our purpose is to share the enjoyment of making music together to the highest possible standard. The Club organises three major concerts a year in which it is joined by professional soloists and orchestras. The Club performs regularly at Snape Maltings Concert Hall.

Recent concerts reflect the broad range of music performed by the choir, covering oratorio and religious music, opera, contemporary and commissioned works. The choir celebrated its 60th anniversary at a concert in Orford Church on 10 March 2012, and was a major contributor to the Britten centenary weekend event holding a Britten centenary concert at Orford Church on 23 November 2013. Works specially commissioned by the Club were performed at both concerts.

The Club’s 70th anniversary occurred in 2022 and to celebrate this milestone a Gala concert was held at Snape Maltings concert hall on 19 November for which a new work was commissioned.

The Club’s President is Sir Humphrey Burton CBE. The vice-Presidents are Robin Leggate and Dame Ann Murray. Tom Appleton is the Director of Music.

Aldeburgh Music Club is generously supported by its patrons and the '100 Club' prize lottery.

The choir is a registered charity (no. 1000990) and a member of Making Music.

History

Aldeburgh Music Club came into being in April 1952 at Crag House, the home of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. Those members who wished to play music would meet once a month and from the Club’s beginning membership was open to ‘all practising musicians, amateur and professional, in Aldeburgh and district'. They were, however, restricted to thirty-five in number and by invitation of the committee - and so it remained for many years.

There were three groups - recorder players, singers and string players, who met to play on Club Nights. During the Club's first year they were joined by Imogen Holst who became Conductor and then Vice-president and was associated with the Club until her death in 1984. The first concert was held in August 1953 and in the following few years the Club participated in the Aldeburgh Festival. Rosamund Strode began her life-long involvement with the Club in 1964; she became Vice-President after Britten's death in 1976. Rae Woodland became President after Pears' death in 1986.

By the early 1980's the number of recorder and string players had dwindled; the Club evolved into a choral society and a pattern of three concerts a year developed and in 1986 under the direction of the Music Director at that time, Philip Reed, professional soloists were used, and that practice has continued. In 1995 the Club gave its first performance at the Snape Maltings Concert Hall. How different to the small gatherings at Crag House!

It is fortunate to be able to present audiences with performances of major works from the choral repertoire; we not only enjoy making music together - our commitment is richly rewarded.

As part of the Club’s 70th anniversary celebrations, a new history has been written by club member David Edwards - “Some Splendid Noise: 70 years of Aldeburgh Music Club, 1952-2022”, published in May 2022. Copies are available from the Aldeburgh Bookshop, or by emailing: publications@aldeburghmusic.club