Concerts at Cratfield

Concerts at Cratfield (formerly Blyth Valley Chamber Music) presents six afternoon concerts on alternate Sundays each summer (July-September): since 1991 all our summer concerts have been given at the church of St Mary’s Cratfield, East Suffolk (UK).   Concerts begin at 3pm, usually ending at around 5pm.

Cratfield is a small village in tranquil and rolling countryside about 5 miles (8km) west of the A12, close to Halesworth and Yoxford: click here for a local map and here for further details of the church and its facilities for concertgoers.  We specially welcome young people and students, who can book tickets at half price.

Our concerts are all of chamber music, which we interpret widely to include solo recitals, duos and trios through to string quartets and larger ensembles: piano quintets and string or wind sextets are the largest groups which can fit comfortably on the platform at the church. Most concerts are purely instrumental, including occasionally of baroque and early music, but vocal music and song may also feature.

Our approach is simple: to invite to play for us the best ensembles we can afford, playing pieces from the best in the repertoire to the best standard attainable by them; and to offer a wide variety of ensembles and composers within each season.

We often feature performers with connections to the activities of Aldeburgh Music nearby: the Aldeburgh Festival in June, the winter lunchtime concerts at the Jubilee Hall and the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme at Snape.  Each Cratfield season mixes young performers with those further on in their careers (we often invite back those whom we have enjoyed in earlier seasons); it also blends well-established works from the ‘core repertoire’ with lesser known, early and new music, including first performances and new commissions.