Britten Sinfonia

Britten Sinfonia

Britten Sinfonia is a chamber orchestra based in Cambridge and active since 1992. It is a British orchestra with an international profile and is known for concert programming that brings together repertory, contemporary music and collaborations across genres.

Ensemble structure and approach

The orchestra does not have a principal conductor or director. Instead, it works with a wide range of guest artists and collaborators, chosen according to the needs of each project. Its performances are noted for their quality and for a programming approach that places emphasis on the development of its players.

Collaborations and residencies

Britten Sinfonia works with artists from across the musical spectrum, including Thomas Adès, James MacMillan, Joanna MacGregor, Masaaki Suzuki, Alina Ibragimova, Dhafer Youssef, Paul Lewis, Nitin Sawhney and the Michael Clark Company. Other collaborators include Christopher Hogwood, Efterklang, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Nico Muhly, Katie Mitchell, Mark Padmore, Pekka Kuusisto, Imogen Cooper, Stephen Layton and Polyphony.

The orchestra has residencies in Cambridge, Norwich, Birmingham and Krakow. It also maintains a major concert series at London’s Southbank Centre and the Wigmore Hall.

Performances and touring

The ensemble appears regularly at major European concert halls and festivals, including the BBC Proms, Latitude and the City of London Festival. It also performs at venues such as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional and London’s Barbican Centre. Its international work includes an acclaimed tour of South America, with further touring in the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Mexico, the United States, Canada and South America.

Recordings and awards

Britten Sinfonia is heard frequently on BBC Radio 3 and commercial radio. It releases recordings on its own label in partnership with Signum Classics; Songs of the Sky is one such release, alongside a recording of Hindemith’s music and Folk Songs, which includes Berio’s Folk Song Suite and works by Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Janáček.

The orchestra receives a Gramophone Award, the 2008 Arts and Business International Award, and the Royal Philharmonic Society Ensemble Award in 2007.

Membership

Named members associated with the orchestra include Tom Rumsby, Jacqueline Shave, Alexandra Caldon, Stephen Bell, Marcus Broome, Rachel Byrt, Bridget Carey, Michael Cox, Miranda Dale, Manon Derome, Thomas Gould, Oliver Pashley, Julia Vohralik, Lucy Wakeford, Andrew Webster and Duncan Ferguson.