COD presents Benjamin Britten Music Festival
The Music department at College of DuPage will celebrate the life centennial anniversary of the birth of renowned English composer Benjamin Britten this fall with a series of performances and lectures by faculty and students.
Click here for a complete list of festival events.
Born in Lowestoft, England in 1913, Britten was a composer, conductor and pianist who composed across a broad range of genres, including opera, chamber music, symphonic music, religious works, vocal music and music for film. He is best known for his operas and vocal music which include “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” “Billy Budd,” “Death in Venice,” “The Turn of the Screw” and the “War Requiem.” In 1948, Britten, along with singer Peter Pears and librettist Eric Crozier, cofounded the Aldenburgh Festival, an arts and music festival devoted primarily to classical music which continues to this day.
During his lifetime, Britten was appointed a Companion of Honour, received the Order of Merit and was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society. Additionally, he won the Robert O. Anderson Aspen Award in the Humanities and received the Ravel Award from the French Government. In 1976, the year of his death, he became the first musician to be made a life peer in the United Kingdom.
The music program at College of DuPage offers both an A.A. degree and an A.F.A. degree in music. In addition, the program offers a wide range of performance opportunities in a broad range of groups, styles and settings.
More about the Music program at College of DuPage.
For more information about the Britten Festival and other events, visit www.AtTheMAC.org, or call (630) 942-4000.