Britten Sinfonia become resident at Saffron Hall

Britten Sinfonia at Saffron Hall - © Roger King

The Britten Sinfonia has been a regular visitor to Saffron Hall in Saffron Walden since the hall's opening concert in 2013. Now this partnership has been cemented with the orchestra being announced as resident at the hall for the 2016-17 season. The orchestra already has strong links with the East of England with residencies in Norwich and at the University of Cambridge, as well as being an Associate Ensemble at the Barbican in London.

The ensemble's residency at Saffron Hall promises a programme of outstanding and musically diverse concerts. And as both the Britten Sinfonia and Saffron Hall have strong learning and participation programmes, it is to be hoped that they develop some synergy and the plans are for a sustained programme of music education and participatory activities for both secondary and primary schools and wider communities across the region.

Saffron Hall is an award-winning 740-seat performance space built in the grounds of Saffron Walden County High School. In a remarkable piece of sharing, the hall functions both as a facility for the school and as a venue for public concerts. It opened in 2013 and since then performers have included the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Maxim Vengerov, Penguin Cafe, Nicola Benedetti, Courtney Pine and The Sixteen.