Britten-Pears Chamber Choir

Established in 1991, the Britten-Pears Chamber Choir has appeared with a number of leading orchestras and conductors. In 2002 the choir appointed its current musical director Ralph Woodward. At Easter 2003 it performed Arvo Pärt's Passio at Snape Maltings followed by Szymanowski's Third Symphony under Paul Daniel in the Aldeburgh Festival.

Together with the Fairhaven Singers the choir performed Mendelssohn's Lobgesang in Snape Maltings at Easter 2004, once again under Paul Daniel, and sang Vaughan Williams' Flos Campi with Thomas Ades in the 2004 Aldeburgh Festival. October 2004 saw the choir making its first foreign trip with a visit to Palermo in Sicily and last year Switzerland was the destination.

Britten's War Requiem was performed again at Easter 2005, this time under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy. In February 2006, St Mary's Church in Woodbridge was the venue for a performance of Handel's Messiah and Easter 2006 was celebrated with a performance in Snape Maltings of Haydn's The Creation with Richard Egarr. In December 2006 the choir sang in a performance of Britten's St Nicolas as part of the Britten Weekend held by Aldeburgh Music.

Performances in 2007 included music by Bach and his contemporaries with the Suffolk Baroque Players, Brahms' Requiem in Woodbridge, the premiere of a new work by Will Todd and a tour to Paris, including Mass at Notre-Dame. February 2008 saw the choir perform Carmina Burana and Will Todd's Mass in Blue in the Maltings. The choir appeared at the Halesworth Festival and in Florence in late 2008.

2009 has already seen the choir perform for the Rambert Ballet Company at the Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Bach's St John Passion in the Maltings, with Andrew Kennedy as Evangelist and also Mozart Requiem under Bernard Labadie. Throughout 2009 the choir will be performing concerts throughout Suffolk.