Concert Hall Manager of the Year: Roger Wright

Roger Wright makes it clear that he accepted the ABO/Classical Music award on behalf of his team at Britten Pears Arts (BPA). Even so, the chief executive is deeply reluctant to couch that team’s achievements across the pandemic in terms of ‘silver linings’ to the Covid cloud. ‘Nothing alters the fact that this has been a desperately difficult time. People may say that it’s great what we’ve been able to do, but I’m only too aware of the plans we weren’t able to carry out.’

The safety and wellbeing of colleagues during the crisis has been front and centre in Wright’s mind. ‘It’s not been easy to lead remotely. One of the worst things was observing colleagues struggling at a distance. I encouraged everyone to look out for each other…to have proper conversations on the phone rather than relying on email.’

Wright has particular praise for members of staff charged with implementing government health and safety regulation to the letter. ‘And I must also mention the many volunteers without whom the resumption of live concerts simply wouldn’t have been possible. You think, for example, of those who work front-of-house as the first point of contact for audience members when they arrive.’

Nothing has been more daunting for Wright than observing the income from worldwide performance royalties for Britten’s music all but dry up, thus removing a crucial year-in, year-out element in the organisation’s ability to operate on a break-even basis. ‘We were fortunate to receive £1.4m from the Arts Council’s Culture Recovery Fund, but that still left us short. I have nothing but praise for the various funders who’ve helped us keep things going, presenting as much as we possibly could. If we were asking supporters to keep funding us, we were duty bound to offer live experiences for them whenever possible.’

‘Keeping things going’ in 2021 embraced such elements as the first appearance (by the River Alde) of a new 250-seater geodesic Dome Stage, home to one-hour free concerts in July and August devoted to a wide variety of genres, not least folk, jazz and world music. There was African music, for example, from ’cellist Abel Selacoe and his trio Chesaba…plus the likes of saxophonist Camilla George and The Fontanas with samba sounds and Afro-Latin Funk. ‘These were really joyous occasions,’ Wright recalls, ‘despite the truly awful weather that followed a very hot period in July.’

Mirroring many another performing arts organisations, BPA offered an amount of online content — live & interactive presentations from Britten and Pears’ home, The Red House, for example. An international audience was attracted here. Then the films showcasing the February 2021 Festival of New. This assemblage of ‘freshly devised music and sound’ put together in the course of Snape and Aldeburgh residencies featured such talents as Hip-Hop/Rap artist Thabo and performers in the Sound Voice Project, with its ‘visionary exploration of the human voice and possibilities of collaboration.’

However, Wright was determined that the priority was presenting live music to live audiences. ‘I decide at the start that we shouldn’t do a massive amount of streaming from the concert hall. There was a glut of such stuff being put out online from so many sources. There’s also the consideration that if you’re very likely asking musicians to perform at short notice owing to the uncertainties of the Covid crisis then it’s not fair also to ask them to allow streaming. Once something’s out there, it’s out there.

‘Actually, being at the magical venue that is Snape Maltings is what matters, not least for the very special acoustic. I recall meeting one audience member back in 2020 who’d driven five hours to come to a performance, so important was it to him.’ Covid safety measures meant PDFs replaced printed programmes, Wright recalls ‘…but that had the beneficial effect that more people had their heads up during performances, creating a greater sense of connection between platform and auditorium.’

Wright was only too aware of the particular stress which the pandemic created for younger, more financially vulnerable musicians. ‘So it was a matter of priority to invite them to do as much as possible here…not least with this year’s 50th birthday of the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme on the horizon. It’s been vital that we keep in touch with them.’ One eye-catching element was the weekend devoted last autumn to a selection of BBC New Generation Artists. The Britten-Pears Young Artists also enjoyed their share of the limelight, including a link-up with Aldeburgh Voices in a presentation of British choral and chamber music.

Nothing in programming terms was more important to Wright than refusing to compromise on the centrality of contemporary music to the BPA offer. ‘New music is what we do here… an integral part of our history. It’s easy to sell out concerts if that’s the priority. It’s also easy to be very distinctive in terms of the content you offer. The knack is getting the balance right between the two. We enjoy trust as an organisation — going all the way back to the arrival of Britten and Pears’ first Aldeburgh Festival in 1948 — that concertgoers will be led to new musical experiences and new artists that they will really appreciate.’ Highlights here included first performances of BPA commissions from Tansy Davies and Mark Anthony Turnage, plus premieres of works by Stephen Hough, John Woolrich and John Tavener.

Space allows for merely a passing mention of so much else in the 2021 BPA year: the celebrations of the lives of prime Britten and Pears associates Imogen Holst and Dennis Brain, the BPA’s community work, and an Aldeburgh Young Musicians week including a Joni Mitchell focus for the 8-18 age-group, featuring video-link contributions from West Coast USA collaborators of the celebrated songstress. Then, the effort put into maintaining contact with prison residents through the pandemic. And squeezing in at the last, some of the big names who also lit up the BPA year: the London Symphony Orchestra with Michael Tilson Thomas and then Sir Simon Rattle, the Tallis Scholars, the likes of Ian Bostridge, Nicola Benedetti and Mitsuko Uchida. Breathless at BPA? You bet.