Benjamin Britten Honoured With New Hometown Statue

Mock-up of Benjamin Britten statue (via brittenasaboy.com)

It was announced that a statue of Benjamin Britten will be erected in the composer’s hometown. The announcement follows the completion of a large fundraising initiative.

Driving the news: Last week, the Britten as a Boy project announced that it had met its £120,000 fundraising target. Over the past few years, the project has raised money to erect a bronze statue of Benjamin Britten overlooking the seafront in the composer’s hometown of Lowestoft, Suffolk. The statue is designed by Ian Rank-Broadley—a sculptor whose effigy of Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on all UK and commonwealth coinage since 1998–and will show Benjamin Britten as a young boy.

A bit of subtext: The artist Ian Rank-Broadley expressed that Benjamin Britten first showed signs of genius in childhood. Rank-Broadley believes immortalizing the composer as a child will help to inspire the next generation of children to follow their dreams. Organizers of the initiative also explained that Britten wished to be remembered as a composer who served his community. They hope that this statue honours his wish.

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Sara Schabas

Sara Schabas is a Dora-nominated soprano, writer and yoga teacher. She has performed and created leading roles with companies including Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Dayton Opera, and Aspen Opera, and is a former member of Barbara Hannigan’s Equilibrium Young Artists. Currently based in Montreal, she is a doctoral student at McGill University — where she recently received the Wirth Vocal Prize — and editor of Art Song Canada magazine.