On Saturday November 22nd, 1913, Mrs Edith Britten of Lowestoft, Suffolk, gave birth to her fourth child, a boy. She said, "Today is St. Cecilia's Day, - the Patron Saint of Music - he must be a musician" - and she imagined that he would become the forth "B", Bach, Beethoven, Brahms... and Britten. 2026 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the death of one of this country's most original and versatile composers, Benjamin Britten. A new statue of him as a boy was erected on Lowestoft seafront in Summer 2025.

This lecture "A Boy from Lowestoft - the Life and Works of Benjamin Britten", illustrated with musical examples and video, will explore the marvellous work of this lutifaceted composer. His showpiece, "A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" has introduced generations of children to the sounds of a symphony orchestra. His opera "Peter Grimes" of 1945 changed the face of British opera forever. His towering War Requiem is a unique and impassioned pleas for reconciliation. He strongly believed that music should serve the community - several works, "Noye's Fludde" for example, were written for amateurs to perform in their local spaces.