SEARCH

A programme that showcases over 250 years of music.

Bach’s passiontide masterpiece at Merton College, Oxford.

Nicholas Daniel conducts Britten Sinfonia and Sinfonia Smith Square in Messiaen's monumental Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum.

An immersive and interactive live orchestral experience for Key Stage 2 pupils and their teachers.

Britten Sinfonia rekindles its relationship with the iconic sitar player Anoushka Shankar at Brighton Festival 2025.

Britten Sinfonia perform Beethoven’s Ninth in St Albans Cathedral

Britten Sinfonia with Stevens & Pound and Robert Macfarlane

A triptych focusing on conservation and nature: Gregor Mayrhofer’s Recycling Concerto, Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony and Rautavaara’s Cantus Arcticus.

Meurig is responsible for Britten Sinfonia's artistic, strategic and business planning.

Janis is the Managing Director of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd.

Sreeja is an Education Consultant and supports young education charities in their journey from a start up to a growth phase.

Richard Plaskett is a Partner and Head of Investment Companies at Frostrow Capital LLP, a specialist investment companies firm.

Hannah is responsible for booking players for Britten Sinfonia’s concerts.

Helen is Professor Director and founder of the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy (CIMTR) at Anglia Ruskin University.

As a management consultant with Q5, Rebecca brings expertise in governance and aligning roles and functions with an organisation’s strategy, ensuring practical outcomes and improvements.

Cheryl coordinates the delivery of all Britten Sinfonia concerts and events, and helps manage the music library.

Nick is responsible for all areas of the orchestra's fundraising activity, including donations from individuals, support from trusts and foundations, and corporate sponsorship.

We are an outstanding collective of musicians who thrive on exceptional music-making, and delivering that to audiences far and wide – both on the concert platform and in the community.

Anna started violin lessons aged 4 and studied in Manchester and London.

Marcus joined Britten Sinfonia as Co-Leader in 2013, has appeared as soloist with the orchestra and directed it from the violin.

Britten Sinfonia at Addenbrooke's

Violinist and Viola player Clara Biss is as happy playing chamber music on London’s most prestigious stages as she is touring the world with a symphony or chamber orchestra.

Kathy studied violin at the Royal Academy of Music, where she led the String Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra.

We are working to ensure that every child and young person in the east of England has access to live and interactive performances before they leave school.

An award-winning graduate of Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, Nicola enjoys a busy and successful freelance performing career.

Marcus studied the violin at the Dartington College of Arts and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama before being appointed a sub-principal violin with the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Our complete recordings

Join one of our membership schemes to support Britten Sinfonia and access priority booking and other benefits.

Becoming a Friend is an affordable way to get involved across the whole range of everything we do.

Choose a member of the orchestra to support from £1,000 per year.

Suzanne Loze’s early violin studies were with her grandfather, before going on to study with Erika Klemperer at the Guildhall School of Music.

Clare grew up in Letchworth, North Hertfordshire. It was after hearing a professional string quartet perform live at her primary school that she was inspired, aged 8, to begin studying the violin with the quartet’s leader, Anne Macnachten.

Thank you for thinking of leaving a gift to Britten Sinfonia in your will.

Hear about our upcoming events and activities.

Born in the Rhymney Valley, Rachel Byrt graduated from City University, London with a Bachelor of Science in Sound Engineering. She studied the viola at the Guildhall School of Music with Amanda Stirling, later specialising in baroque and classical period performance, under Michaela Comberti.

Caroline Dearnley studied at the Royal College of Music with Joan Dickson and subsequently with William Pleeth, winning every cello prize.

Joy is very grateful to her local music service for the opportunity to begin cello lessons.

Britten Sinfonia viola player Bridget Carey writes about her day working with patients and nurses as part of our Music in Hospitals project.

Meet Crystalla, a multi-genre composer, pianist, singer and conductor with Greek/Cypriot heritage, whose favourite snack is tea and toast. She's one of our Magnum Opus composers for 2023.

Stephen Williams was born in Wales and attended a vast comprehensive school where everyone had the chance to learn a musical instrument.

Benjamin Russell Is Principal Double Bass of the London Mozart Players and a member of the Britten Sinfonia, for whom he regularly plays as guest principal as well as with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and City of London Sinfonia.

Sarah O’Flynn pursues a demanding and varied career as a performer and educationalist. She is a founding member of the chamber ensemble Chroma, and has been sub principal flute with Britten Sinfonia since 2006.

02/05/2023

Nicholas Daniel has long been acknowledged as one of the world’s great oboe players, and is one of Britain’s best known musicians.

Emma studied with Celia Nicklin as an undergraduate at the Royal Academy of Music but after her first year decided to take up a place at Manchester University to study English Literature.

Oliver Pashley is a young London-based clarinettist and founding member of contemporary quartet The Hermes Experiment.

Ahead of our BBC Proms appearance on 6 September, writer Jessica Duchen interviews Britten Sinfonia leader Thomas Gould about directing performances from the violin rather than having a conductor.

07 August 2023

Martin Owen is regarded as one of Europe’s leading horn players, appearing as soloist and chamber musician all around the world.

Learning & Participation Director Chris Bell reflects on his first year at Britten Sinfonia and one year since the loss of regular funding from Arts Council England.

Alex Wide started playing the horn at the age of 7 in Southampton. He went on to study at the Junior Royal Academy of Music before moving on to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he received both his undergraduate and masters degrees with first-class honours.

Principal timpanist of Britten Sinfonia, William has also been principal timpanist at English National Opera since 1985.

Meet Alex, a composer and curator working across contemporary classical and electronic music. He is one of our Magnum Opus composers for 2024.

Huw Watkins was born in Wales in 1976. He studied piano with Peter Lawson at Chetham’s School of Music and composition with Robin Holloway, Alexander Goehr and Julian Anderson at Cambridge and the Royal College of Music.

Jacqueline Shave received her formal training at the Royal Academy of Music but drew her particular performance inspiration and her love of chamber music from her time at the Britten Pears School in Snape.

Praised as an “eloquent trumpet soloist” (The Times), Matilda Lloyd captivates audiences with her artistry, communication, and musicality. Her “flawless sound and virtuosic technique” (Saarbrücker Zeitung) bring a unique flair to every performance.

Ahead of our 11 May Renaissance Modern's concert, Meurig Bowen gives his thoughts on Werner Herzog's idiosyncratic "documentary", Gesualdo: Death for Four Voices

Please donate to help make this exciting recording project happen

In 2012 pianist Pavel Kolesnikov became a sensation at the Honens International Piano Competition when he took home the world’s largest piano prize. The London-based pianist was born in Siberia into a family of scientists. He studied both the piano and violin for ten years, before concentrating solely on the piano. Following his Wigmore Hall debut in 2014, The Telegraph gave his recital a rare five-star review and called it “one of the most memorable of such occasions London has witnessed for a while”.

Learning and Participation Coordinator Faye Milbourn writes about our first CUH Sounds Residency at Addenbrookes Hospital.

Having regularly worked with Britten Sinfonia as Guest Principal Trumpet, Imogen Whitehead was appointed Principal Trumpet in August 2023.

Get ready for a magical, musical journey with presenter of 'Tiny Magic Orchestra', Charly Jolly!

Two years after an unwelcome phone call, Meurig Bowen celebrates the orchestra's achievements since then, typified by activity over the last few days.

We regularly work in partnership to deliver deeper learning programmes in schools, engaging young people in topics such as local heritage, social justice, and climate change.

This interactive concert explores the connections between art and music...

Britten Sinfonia and Mahan Esfahani embark on an ambitious cycle of complete Bach keyboard concertos.

by Britten Sinfonia

In February 2024, Selaocoe joins Britten Sinfonia to perform John Tavener’s intensely beautiful The Protecting Veil.

Hailing from Ulverston in Cumbria, Jess Gillam is animating the music world with her outstanding talent and infectious personality.

In 2024, Goldscheider premieres Huw Watkins’ Horn Concerto with Britten Sinfonia.

Grammy Award-winning mandolinist, singer, songwriter and composer Chris Thile is described by The Guardian as “that rare being: an all-round musician who can settle into any style, from bluegrass to classical.”

Throughout an international career starting in the late 1980’s, Tim Garland has become known as a unique polymath in the UK’s music scene.

Meet Alex, a composer and curator working across contemporary classical and electronic music. He is one of our Magnum Opus composers for 2024.

Suzie Collier is a conductor, violinist and educator, based in London, UK.