Britten Sinfonia, one of Europe’s most dynamic orchestras

Britten Sinfonia  – The first orchestra to appear at the Festival

Britten Sinfonia, one of Europe’s most dynamic orchestras, takes to the stage at Latitude this summer, the first orchestra to ever perform at the outdoor festival. Playing a range of music, from Bach to Argentinian tango-master Piazzolla, the orchestra performs on the Lake Stage during this year’s festival.

The award-winning Britten Sinfonia has a blossoming international reputation, acclaimed for its adventurous approach to programming, outstanding musicianship and for dynamic associations with classical artists such as pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Joanna MacGregor and Imogen Cooper. The orchestra commissioned the first orchestral work by Nitin Sawhney and has performed with an enviable range of artists across the artistic spectrum, including cult oud player/vocalist Dhafer Youssef, Danish music collective Efterklang, choreographer Michael Clark and director Katie Mitchell.

“We are delighted to be performing at Latitude, a festival with a fresh, free-thinking attitude in the spirit of Britten Sinfonia. We’ve developed a growing following for our programming and performances in recent years, and I hope that the vast crowds that come to this unique Festival, perhaps some new to orchestras, will enjoy the music, and the way in which we perform it. Last time we performed outdoors, at the World Conference for Climate Change in Poznan in November, it was two degrees centigrade, so we’re looking forward to turning up the heat, both on and off the stage, at Latitude.”
David Butcher, Chief Executive of Britten Sinfonia

Britten Sinfonia is that rare beast: an orchestra that chooses not to be led by a music director or principal conductor in the traditional sense, but rather focuses on extending the skills of its acclaimed musicians by collaborating with guest artists who specialise in different musical genres. Britten Sinfonia has performed in many of Europe’s finest concert halls and Festivals and is a regular at the BBC Proms. It has residencies in Cambridge, Norwich, Birmingham and Krakow, with a concert series at London’s Southbank Centre and the Wigmore Hall.

The ensemble enjoys a blossoming international profile, a recent highlight being an acclaimed tour of South America, and is frequently heard on disc, BBC Radio 3 and commercial radio. The orchestra has received awards including a Gramophone Award and in 2007 won the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Ensemble Award in recognition of its work.

The orchestra is funded by Arts Council England, East, who have also helped with funding for this performance at Latitude.