Keynote speaker

who’s about

Charming, affable, and extremely knowledgeable, Roger Wright , CBE is the Chief Executive of Britten Pears Arts. We catch up with him at Snape Maltings to learn more of his vision for this extraordinarily important cultural centre for music and the arts.

Roger arrived at Snape in 2014 to take up his appointment as Chief Executive of Aldeburgh Music after seventeen years as Controller of BBC Radio 3. However, almost immediately, he became a key player in overseeing the purchase of Snape Maltings from Jonny and Alesha Gooderham. Roger then managed a merger in 2020 to ultimately create one overarching organisation, now known as Britten Pears Arts. Although it was a challenging time for Roger and his team, it was also an opportunity to fine tune the retail experience and expand the music programme, and to fulfil the vision of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, who were so aware that music had the power to connect people and were passionate about making it accessible to all.

Roger has held this same philosophy throughout his long career within the classical music industry. Originally from Manchester, he was educated at Chetham’s School of Music, a small independent school where everyone was expected to play an instrument and sing in the choir. Roger took up the cello and piano but admits to being more interested in watching cricket at

Old Trafford than practising his scales! He went on to graduate from Royal Holloway College with a Bachelor of Music in 1977 and then, with only a vague notion to go into teaching, stayed on to take up the position of President of the Student Union. The following year, after dashing off a dozen or so optimistic letters to various large organisations, the British Music Information Centre (BMIC) wrote back and offered him a job.

Located on London’s Bond Street, the BMIC was home to tens of thousands of musical scores and recordings of 20th and 21st century British music, and Roger, who was employed as the librarian, found himself at the heart of the music industry in the early eighties. It was a melting pot of musical talent, with composers and musicians congregating to form new partnerships and create new sounds. Roger was there for eight years, rising up the ranks to manager and finally director, before leaving in 1986 to become the senior producer for the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Three years later, together with his wife Rosie, he moved to Ohio to take up the post of artistic administrator of the Cleveland Orchestra and then, in 1992, they moved to Hamburg where he took up the post of artistic director at Deutsche Grammophon, a classical music record label.

Roger, along with Rosie and their young family, finally returned to London in 1997, when he became Head of Classical Music for the BBC before taking on the role of Controller of BBC Radio 3, a position he held for the next seventeen years, also becoming who’s about director of the BBC Proms in 2007. Like Britten and Pears, Roger is passionate about making classical music more accessible to the masses, wanting to de-robe some of its dustier layers and make it relevant, engaging and contemporary. He was instrumental in bringing this vision to life with the programming of the hugely successful Doctor Who BBC Proms and the Comedy Proms hosted by Tim Minchin, and it is this spirit of inclusivity that he now brings to Snape.

Britten Pears Arts now has an amazing and varied musical programme that engages with top class composers and musicians as well as reaching out to schools, families and young artists, and it also runs a series of community workshops for adults living with Parkinson’s and Dementia, using the power of music to help improve both their physical and emotional wellbeing. The Young Artist Programme, originally set up by Britten and Pears in 1972, is still at the heart of all of this, and continues to offer emerging young artists the opportunity to be mentored by some of the world’s finest performers, musicians and teachers. With a black book that reads like an A-Z of who’s who in the classical music industry, Roger has the ability, and charisma, to welcome an extraordinary wealth of talent to perform at Snape Maltings, and I would encourage anyone new to classical, jazz or contemporary music to book a seat. Music is the sound track to our lives and Britten Pears Arts is offering us the chance to add some exciting new albums to our collection. www.brittenpearsarts.org

out & about

February

11th-19th: Half term fun

Wrap up and head outdoors to National Trust Dunwich Heath for some family fun.

11th-19th: Nicola Coe Exhibition

Exhibition of artworks made in response to the nesting birds of Foxburrow Nature Reserve. Foxburrow Farm

11th-19th: Fun on the Farm

Meet the animals, craft activities, playgrounds and cafe. Easton Farm Park

13th:

Folk at the Froize Supper and urban folk music from The Jeremiahs. The Froize

16th:

Saving forests and wildlife around the world

A talk by the World Land Trust. Woodbridge Community Hall

23rd: Othello

An extraordinary new production of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy. NTLive The Riverside

23rd: Spring Wreath Workshop With Hall Lane Flowers. Suffolk Sense, Wickham Market

28th-8th: Loop

An exhibition of paintings and prints by Amanda Edgcombe. The Cut, Halesworth Open Tues-Sat

Mar:

3rd-5th:

Aldeburgh Literary Festival

A wide range of talks to interest, inform, challenge and amuse.

4th: Mini Market

Arts and Crafts.

Suffolk Sense, Wickham Market

4th: Richard Durrant: The No 26 Bus to Paraguay

How a young boy took the No 26 bus to his first guitar lesson and ended up as an honoured guest in Paraguay. The Cut

10th: Horizontal Landscapes

Exhibition showcasing the best of East Anglian landscape painting. Gallery East

11th-12th: Wedding Open Weekend

Jimmy’s Farm shows you what they have to offer for your magical day.

13th-18th: Art Exhibition

Painting and printmaking by three local artists.

Suffolk Sense, Wickham Market

16th - 19th May

Medieval Miracles

Reigniting the region’s buzzing 15th century theatre scene. Eastern Angles

19th: The Chevalier

The story of the Black composer, virtuoso violinist and friend of Mozart.

Snape Maltings Concert Hall

21st-25th: The Verdict

The powerful bestselling courtroom thriller starring Jason Merrells. The New Wolsey

25th-26th: Weekend Art Studio Sale

Artist Samantha Barnes opens her garden studio in central Woodbridge. www.samanthabarnes.com

Apr:

1st: Gordon Buchanan: 30 Years in the Wild

Looking back at 30 years of being a wildlife presenter and filmmaker. Ipswich Corn Exchange

1st: Mini Market Arts and Crafts.

Suffolk Sense, Wickham Market

1st: St John Passion

A dramatic and moving musical depiction of Bach’s Easter story. Framlingham College

1st-14th: Spring Exhibition

Fourteen local artists combine with ceramics, sculpture and artwork. The Old Theatre, Framlingham

4th: Sounds of Spring

An early morning walk. RSPB Minsmere - 7.30am

4th-10th: Converge

Pop up shop of designers, makers and artists. 10 Church St. Framlingham

5th-6th: Easter Weekend at Snape Maltings

Craft sessions, music and art for all the family.

13th-16th: INK Festival

A weekend of play, comedy, radio, art, poetry, music, children’s programmes, talks, workshops, short new films and much more.

15th: FolkEast Presents…

The Young ‘Uns

Life-affirming folk songs with honest storytelling, beautiful lyrics and warm harmonies. Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall

15th: Gaspard the Fox

A musical version of the muchloved modern classic, narrated by the author with beautiful live illustrations.

Britten Studio, Snape Maltings

21st-22nd: Beauty and the Beast

The Marwyn School of Dancing brings this magical tale to life.

Eastern Angles

22nd: Il viaggio a Reims

ETO presents Rossini’s comic masterpiece in a new production from Valentina Ceschi.

Snape Maltings Concert Hall

29th-1st May: Art for Cure

An amazing display of art and sculpture.

Helmingham Hall and Gardens.

SATURDAY 25TH FEBRUARY • 7PM • £15

Debenham Community Centre

FRIDAY 28TH APRIL • 7.30PM • £14

JOHN PEEL CENTRE - STOWMARKET

TICKETS: WWW.HONEYANDTHEBEAR.CO.UK