In Concert Catalogue

FOREWORD
I have admired and supported the work of The Lettering Arts Trust for many
years and am thrilled to see it flourishing within the creative campus of Snape
Maltings, which has been its home since 2013. I am delighted to write an introduction
to this powerful exhibition to mark the Golden Jubilee of the arrival of music
at Snape Maltings. Bringing together the arts of music and lettering within the
walls of the concert hall offers a perfect celebration of the very special endeavours
of the Snape Maltings site today and the 50th anniversary of the Snape Maltings
Concert Hall.
The title “In Concert” encapsulates the mission of this collection - to provide a
showcase of the skills of the best contemporary artists each offering their individual
response to the power of music and in particular the power of the live performance.
The results of these artists’ endeavours inspire us and encourage us to view anew the
music which lies behind them. The remarkable range of forms and styles in this
display is testament to music’s ability to move us.
Some of the world’s most skilled musical practitioners have inspired audiences at
Snape Maltings for the last 5o years. Just as a performance by the most talented
musician can change our reaction to a piece of music, so the works of the skilled
lettering artist on show in this exhibition seem to resonate with and enhance the
meaning of the text, to give it a new voice.
I would like to pay tribute to the work that the Lettering Arts Trust does to enable
these precious skills to continue to thrive in today’s pixel-dominated age. Its education
programme ensures that ancient skills continue to inspire and move us. These
skills have been handed down through the generations. They cannot be achieved
at the push of a button, but have to be laboriously practised and refined. Just as
music speaks to us across the generations, so does the finely wrought letter, whether
carved, written or printed.
Dame Judi Dench ch dbe
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