Classical music for all ages in Norfolk

Adrian Bradbury is the Artistic Director of Music for Music in the Burnhams, a charity bringing world-leading classical musicians to venues and schools across north-west Norfolk. Here, Adrian looks forward to a concert celebrating the music of Sir Karl Jenkins in May and a new festival week in July

Who are you and what do you do?

My name’s Adrian Bradbury, I’m a cellist and was delighted to become Artistic Director of Music for Music in the Burnhams in 2025. This role involves working with Marian Abramovich, our founder and chair of trustees, to shape the artistic vision and operation of the charity. The operation is the easy bit – choosing the artists and repertoire for our annual programme, aiming to bring the very best musicians, established and upcoming, to play top quality music across north-west Norfolk. The vision is what really defines the role – if we get that right, we broaden and deepen our appeal beyond the wonderful existing concertgoers, reaching new audiences without losing an ounce of musical integrity.

I first became aware of Music in the Burnhams as a performer in one of their concerts. From that very first appearance, it was evident that this was a concert series unlike any other, a five-star independent amongst high street chains, one focused not just on excellence but also the wonderful community it serves, and I couldn’t wait to become more involved.

What is the background to Music in the Burnhams? How long has it been running, and how has it evolved in that time?

Music in the Burnhams began life as ‘Music in Thorpe’ in 2021, founded to promote classical music through a series of concerts held initially in All Saints Church, Burnham Thorpe – known locally as Nelson’s Church as Admiral Nelson was born in its rectory. The number of venues has since grown to include all five churches across the Burnhams, as well as St Mary’s in Brancaster and the beautiful village hall in Burnham Overy Staithe. A central purpose of our existence is to work with those churches – their clergy, congregations and architecture – making the concerts community collaborations rather than commercial transactions.

This year also marks our first appearance in Kings Lynn – a concert this May showcasing the music of composer Sir Karl Jenkins in St Nicholas’ Chapel – plus a return visit to Norwich where the Victoria Quartet (of which I’m a member) will join forces with talented young instrumentalists from Norwich School to play at The Octagon Chapel in June.

It’s been incredibly fulfilling as a performer, and now a director, to see the work of Music in the Burnhams be so well received by the people of north-west Norfolk, and I’m excited to be part of the charity’s next chapter as we take the programme further into the county.

What is the main aim of the charity?

Everything we do at Music in the Burnhams is aimed at making high-quality classical music available to all. We want to attract a new generation of devotees to the genre by bringing the best musicians possible to informal venues, such as churches and village halls, where they can enjoy rare world-class live performances in relaxing spaces with ticket prices that won’t break the bank.

We’re also dedicated to supporting the musical ambitions of local young people, either through school workshops and performances with visiting musicians, or through fundraising initiatives for wellbeing projects that benefit young people, including schemes delivered by Norfolk and Waveney Mind to support better youth mental health.

What is the flagship event for this year, and how much are you hoping to raise for Norfolk and Waveney Mind and why?

As we enter our sixth year, we wanted to organise a large celebratory concert, which would also act as a major fundraiser for our charity partner, Norfolk and Waveney Mind.

On Saturday 9th May, from 7.30pm, we’re delighted to present a special gathering of local and internationally renowned musicians in the beautiful setting of St Nicholas’ Chapel, in King’s Lynn, to celebrate the music of composer Sir Karl Jenkins.

The highlight of the programme will be his ravishing ‘Cantata Memoria’, a work commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster that took so many young lives and caused – and continues to cause – so much mental anguish. We will also perform the ‘Benedictus’ from The Armed Man, the piece that topped the Classic FM chart just this month. We are honoured that Sir Karl, and his wife, will attend the concert.

Amongst the performers will be the British Sinfonietta, the King’s Lynn Festival Chorus and Norwich School Choir alongside violinist Joo Yeon Sir, harpist Alis Huws, euphonium player Dan Thomas, bass baritone Paul Carey Jones, soprano Khrystyna Makar and me on cello, all conducted by Ben Horden, Music Director of the King’s Lynn Festival Chorus.

As well as being a stunning evening of classical music, we also hope to raise considerable funds for Norfolk and Waveney Mind. Thanks to the support of Music in the Burnhams, the charity has been able to launch a pilot scheme which delivers wellbeing workshops for young people, aged 14 to 25, in north-west Norfolk. With our ticket sales, our aim is to raise at least £20,000 by the end of this year, enabling Norfolk and Waveney Mind to sustain and expand this vital service.

What is new for this year? Will there be a festival week?

This summer, we’re very proud to be launching Music in the Burnhams’ first-ever week-long festival of classical concerts and talks, which will see an outstanding group of musicians perform in churches across the Burnhams, including a BBC radio broadcast.

This inaugural festival will run from Sunday 19th to Friday 24th July and, in collaboration with the Museum of Music History, we will be honouring the legacy of composer Sir Julius Benedict (1804-1885), who once held a special place in Norfolk’s heart.

Despite once being the busiest musician in London and the conductor of the Norwich Festival for over 30 years, Benedict is now forgotten to all but a handful of musical cognoscenti. With this festival, we hope to do our best to rekindle public appreciation for his wonderful music.

The July festival week programme will involve daily lunchtime and evening recitals, as well as morning talks which will bring Benedict’s world to life. It will launch with a Choral Evensong at St Mary’s Church in Burnham Market on 19th July, featuring choruses and arias from Benedict’s cantata ‘The Legend of St Cecilia’, sung by St Martin’s Voices, the choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, London, and the final concert will feature the London Chamber Orchestra conducted by Christopher Warren-Green in Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony. We’re incredibly excited that the Evensong will be recorded for broadcast as the Daily Service on BBC Radio 4 on St Cecilia’s Day in November.

Amongst the many talented artists due to perform, we’re particularly delighted to introduce sensational pianist Thomas Kelly, a runner-up at this year’s International Liszt Competition in Utrecht, who will be the resident musician throughout the festival, plus household names such as clarinettist Emma Johnson and horn player Ben Goldscheider.

In addition to our performers, our devoted team of volunteers will be strengthened by a group of recent graduates of Fakenham Academy, selling tickets, serving food at the Festival Cafe and mixing cocktails at the Festival Bar.

We really hope this festival will become a staple of the Norfolk musical calendar for many years to come. Whether you’re a regular concertgoer or have never been to a classical music concert before, we’d love you to join us! And of course, any local sponsorship support from local businesses who can help us cover costs as we stage this week-long event and bring classical music into the lives of more local people would be much appreciated.  

How important is it that Music in the Burnhams works with local schools each year?

Our passion for nurturing a new generation of classical music lovers demands that we do our utmost to help bring the genre to young people. Quite apart from the enjoyment it brings, music affects and enhances every aspect of a developing young brain – emotional, sensorimotor skills and coordination, cognition, social interaction, self-expression and general mental health and wellbeing.

We do our best to support this by coming into local schools and giving children new musical experiences, ensuring they hear and play with world-leading artists. This spring we’ll be bringing the high-energy, dynamic contemporary British baroque group Red Priest, and the West End star Julie Kirk Thomas, to Burnham Market Primary School for two such workshops. In June, those pupils will also deliver a night of cabaret entertainment at Fakenham Community Centre, including big musical numbers, dance, and comedy, following a two-day workshop with the Music in the Burnhams team.

We have also built a relationship with Norwich School, and we’re delighted that their choir will sing at the Sir Karl Jenkins concert in May, and that some of the school’s talented musicians will perform with the Victoria Quartet at a special concert in Norwich on 30th June.

To see the enjoyment and confidence these budding musicians gain from spending time with experienced performers is incredibly rewarding. Whether or not they go on to careers in music (and we would love that some of them do!), our job will be done if they walk taller, talk bigger and listen stronger, having been encouraged as performing artists from a young age. 

How can people find out more about Music in the Burnhams?

All our latest news, programme of events and where to buy tickets, can be found at musicintheburnhams.com, or on social media – Facebook or Instagram. Please come and support our mission, you will not be disappointed!

Music in the Burnhams will be Celebrating the music of Sir Karl Jenkins, in the presence of the composer, on Saturday May 9, 2026, at St Nicholas Chapel, King’s Lynn. Visit musicintheburnhams.com.

Featured image of Adrian Bradbury and all other images – supplied by Plain Speaking PR