The Benjamin Britten Centenary at Aldeburgh Music

Benjamin Britten was the most celebrated British composer of the 20th century. The centenary of Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), born in Lowestoft, Suffolk, will be marked by special events all over the world - affirmation of his huge international reputation as a composer. However, if you want to experience the true spirit of one of the greatest musical minds the UK has produced, you need to visit Aldeburgh itself, where he lived and worked for most of his life.

Here on the Suffolk coast you will find the timeless landscape, sea and big skies that inspired so much of Britten's extraordinary work and continue to inspire artists today. You will also find the beating heart of his wide-ranging legacy - the Festival he founded, the iconic Snape Maltings Concert Hall, the support of young talent and his archive - which come together to create one of the great musical centres of the world.

Culminating in the 100th anniversary of his birth on 22 November 2013, Aldeburgh Music's centenary programme is a celebration of Britten you won't find anywhere else. It's a celebration centred on Suffolk and its people - the landscape and the community, both so central to his life and work. We present the great "Suffolk" works such as Peter Grimes and Curlew River, rooted in their locations, and Death in Venice, first performed at Snape Maltings. True to Britten's ethos, we also feature music-making by children and amateurs including a national singing project for children, Friday Afternoons, Albert Herring feasts in local villages and Noye's Fludde in Lowestoft.

And illustrating Britten's wider cultural influence, we present a year-long series of commissions from young and established composers and also artists of all disciplines who in their different ways have been inspired by Britten - writers, visual artists, folk and jazz musicians, sound artists and choreographers.