Issuu

Issue 39 | Autumn 2026

THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL

SPOTLIGHT

@ThreeChoirs

unshine, surprises, and a Festival in full voice: Gloucester 2026

We could hardly have asked for better weather for the 2026 Three Choirs Festival. Gloucester was bathed in sunshine, the Cathedral Close and Festival Bar were buzzing, and there was a holiday mood. I was struck by the warmth of the audiences. This felt like one of the most fun-loving festivals I can remember, with people sharing favourite pieces and performers and being swept up in the music. The opening night set the tone magnificently. Gavin Higgins’ Fanfare Americana, Elgar’s First Symphony, and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast made a powerhouse programme, performed with tremendous energy and precision by the Festival Chorus and Philharmonia Orchestra under Adrian Partington. There was a lovely historical echo too. While preparing my pre-Festival talk, 300 Years of Music, Mayhem and Masterpieces, I was reminded that a 1965 Three Choirs performance of Belshazzar’s Feast helped loosen the Festival’s taboo against cathedral applause. Hearing it greeted so enthusiastically in 2026 made me proud to be Chair of a festival that holds its history and living present together. Nowhere was that connection more powerful than in Gloucester Cathedral’s renewed organ. During Wednesday’s Choral Evensong, I could feel its vibrations through the choir stalls as Jonathan Hope launched into Bliss’ wonderfully bonkers Praeludium. Katelyn Emerson also brought energy to Poulenc’s Organ Concerto, showing off the instrument’s fabulous range and power. By contrast, Ex Cathedra’s Rachmaninov Vespers created extraordinary stillness and depth. 2

Spotlight

I felt especially privileged to be involved with the Associate Composer programme. Gavin Higgins was present throughout the week, talking with audiences and hearing major works performed. His new Magnificat and Nunc dimittis felt like a true homecoming for a Gloucester-born composer. Knowing how difficult it can be for composers to secure performances and build lasting festival relationships, it was wonderful to see him welcomed so warmly. On behalf of the Festival, I was also delighted to announce GraceEvangeline Mason as Associate Composer for 2027–29. Other highlights included Misha Kaploukhii’s relaxed, intimate piano playing; Ian Bostridge, Elizabeth Kenny and Fretwork’s gorgeous Dowland programme; and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, which transported me back to singing it at school. Roderick Williams brought his customary sunshine to Songs of the Sea, while the Come and Sing Mozart Requiem and the evening performance captured the Three Choirs Festival’s joyous participatory spirit. My heartfelt congratulations and thanks go to Gloucester City Chair Allen Prior, Artistic Director Adrian Partington, Chief Executive David Francis, the entire core team, and all our volunteers — from the programming and hard work behind the scenes to the warm welcome they gave us all. Gloucester 2026 showed the Three Choirs Festival at its best: rooted in tradition, open to new voices, and carried forward by a warm, engaged audience. I cannot wait to see you all in Worcester in 2027. Naomi Belshaw Three Choirs Festival Chair Autumn 2026

Relive your memories of the 2026 Three Choirs Festival Festival in ‘Whisky High Notes: Live from Three Choirs’, a four-part podcast series hosted by Naomi Belshaw where each guest chooses Three Choirs Festival music, Naomi pairs it with a whisky, and they chat about both! Listen here https:// youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLQnlH0GbsQ8&si=wjFlrWKmX_vIQdzS

CONTENTS A View from the Chorus

Saturday 25 July

Sunday 26 July

Monday 27 July

Tuesday 28 July

Wednesday 29 July

Thursday 30 July

Friday 31 July

Saturday 1 August

A Huge Legacy of Composers

01452 768 928 members@3choirs.org

Naomi Belshaw and Gavin Higgins © Joseph Wong

Autumn 2026

Cover image: © James O’Driscoll Registered Charity No 204609 Registered in England and Wales: 00580176

Spotlight 3

A VIEW FROM THE CHORUS Chorus Member Kathryn Jeffree looks back on Gloucester 2026

he day after Festival ends is a quiet, still, and contemplative day; a day for the counting of one’s blessings. The magnificence of the Three Choirs Festival and the privilege of being a member of the Festival Chorus is filling my head and my heart, and here is why. On Thursday 23 July, the Three Choirs Festival Chorus assembled for the first time on the raked staging in Gloucester Cathedral and from that moment on excitement, adrenaline, camaraderie and humour were in plentiful supply. Hearing the music that we rehearsed so meticulously finally being delivered in the acoustic of the Cathedral was a total thrill; the three months of commitment were worth every second. From the Opening Service to the drama of Belshazzar’s Feast, day one was an intense and rewarding experience that will live in 4

Spotlight

my memory for years to come. Between the rehearsals for, and performances of, those two events, we were lucky enough to attend a concert by VOCES8. As the week progressed we performed the rest of the programme, including the monumental Glagolitic Mass by Janáček - my first experience of this work. The finale of this incredible week of music-making was an outstanding performance of one of my personal favourites, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. Being given the opportunity to perform such a wide range of choral music with the Philharmonia Orchestra in such a short space of time (to appreciative audiences) is an unparalleled experience. The dedication and skill of the Festival’s Artistic Director and Organist simply defy description. And if that wasn’t enough, Chorus members are given five ‘standby’ tickets at the beginning of the Festival so that they can attend concerts in which they are not singing for free. This is such a bonus! From the legend that is Roderick Williams and impeccable singing from chamber groups in late-night concerts to the delightful, energetic performance of A Gloucestershire Cantata by Gloucester Cathedral Junior Choir and local schools, we had the privilege of sitting in the audience. Autumn 2026

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 5

All I’ve talked about so far is the musical side of the Festival – there is so much more to it. The atmosphere in the Festival Village can only be described as joyous; whilst relaxing over coffee and cake or beer conversations are struck, friendships made, and interesting stories regaled. Composers, soloists, and guest conductors can also be seen enjoying the atmosphere and engaging with the audience and performers alike. My husband (also a member of the Chorus) and I are fortunate enough to live within walking distance of the Cathedral and fellow singers came to stay for the duration of the Festival. Throughout the week other singers often came over and a party atmosphere was very much in evidence – many life-long friendships have been formed in just a few wonderful days. I can only think of two downsides to being in the Chorus. The first is that one has to audition – I have yet to meet anyone who enjoys this process! The second is that, like all good things, the Festival has to come to an end. So when I walked through the Cathedral grounds today and saw the marquees of the Festival Village being dismantled, a little bit of my heart was taken with them. The sensational week is over. It has been an utter privilege to be part of this magnificent, unique Festival, and I’m already counting down the days to 2027.

Spotlight

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 7

SATURDAY 25 JULY

1: David Francis interviews Gavin Higgins © James O’Driscoll 2: Misha Kaploukhii © James O’Driscoll 3: Adrian Partington and David Stout © Dale Hodgetts 4: Opening Night © Dale Hodgetts 5: Festival Reception © Dale Hodgetts 6: HRH The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester © Dale Hodgetts 7: VOCES8 © Dale Hodgetts 8: My Favourite Things © Dale Hodgetts 9: Opening Service Procession © Dale Hodgetts 10: Opening Service © Dale Hodgetts

Spotlight

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 9

SUNDAY 26 JULY

1: Gavin Higgins speaks at the Members Lunch © Dale Hodgetts 2: Gloucester Cathedral © Joseph Wong 3: Charlotte Corderoy conducts Evensong © Dale Hodgetts 4: Ex Cathedra © James O’Driscoll 5: Roderick Williams © Dale Hodgetts 6: The Lady Clerks © James O’Driscoll 7: Martha McLorinan © James O’Driscoll 8: Festival Eucharist © Dale Hodgetts 9: Members Lunch © Dale Hodgetts

Spotlight

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 11

MONDAY 27 JULY 1

1: Rachel Nicholls, Ashley Riches and Hilary Summers © Dale Hodgetts 2: Charles Owen © Dale Hodgetts 3: Adrian Partington © James O’Driscoll 4: GAM - Singing Together © James O’Driscoll 5: Glagolitic Mass © James O’Driscoll 6: Gloucester Cathedral Junior Choir © Dale Hodgetts 7: Andrew Reid conducts Evensong © Dale Hodgetts 8: Penny Wright and Gavin Higgins© Joseph Wong 9: Nia Llewelyn Jones conducts A Gloucestershire Cantata © James O’Driscoll

Spotlight

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 13

TUESDAY 28 JULY

1: © James O’Driscoll 2: © James O’Driscoll 3: Ian Bostridge, Elizabeth Kenny and Fretwork © Dale Hodgetts 4: Roderick Williams © James O’Driscoll 5: The Festival Players © James O’Driscoll 6: The Oriel Singers © James O’Driscoll 7: Cecilia McDowall © Dale Hodgetts 8: Martyn Brabbins and Gavin Higgins © Dale Hodgetts 9: Paschal Bachmann © Dale Hodgetts

Spotlight

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 15

WEDNESDAY 29 JULY

1: Beethoven Mass in C © James O’Driscoll 2: Samuel Hudson © James O’Driscoll 3: © Delish Photography 4: APOLLO5 © James O’Driscoll 5: Much Ado about Nothing © Dale Hodgetts 6: Three Deans Bake-Off © Dale Hodgetts 7: Broadcast Evensong © Dale Hodgetts 8: Festival Bandstand © Delish Photography

Spotlight

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 17

THURSDAY 30 JULY 1

1: Kieran White © Dale Hodgetts 2: Thomas Ospital © Dale Hodgetts 3: Monteverdi Vespers © James O’Driscoll 4: © Delish Photography 5: The Saint Cecilia Singers © James O’Driscoll 6: Samuel Hudson © James O’Driscoll 7: Mark Padmore © James O’Driscoll 8: Volunteers © James O’Driscoll

Spotlight

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 19

FRIDAY 31 JULY

1: Andrew Reid © James O’Driscoll 2: Members Breakfast © James O’Driscoll 3: Scott Dickinson and Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay © Dale Hodgetts 4: Samuel Hudson conducts Evensong © Dale Hodgetts 5: Sanders Society Prizewinner Robert Hamilton © James O’Driscoll 6: Mozart Requiem © Dale Hodgetts 7: The Lay Clerks © Dale Hodgetts 8: Alastair Stone © Dale Hodgetts 9: Come and Sing Mozart Requiem © James O’Driscoll

Spotlight

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 21

SATURDAY 1 AUGUST 1

1: Beside the Seaside © Dale Hodgetts 2: Come and Sing Evensong Choir © Dale Hodgetts 3: Samuel Hudson conducts the Come and Sing Evensong © Dale Hodgetts 4: Niamh O’Sullivan, Adrian Partington and John Findon © James O’Driscoll 5: James Gilchrist © James O’Driscoll 6: Beside the Seaside © Dale Hodgetts 7: Brett Weymark conducts Sydney Philharmonia Choirs © Dale Hodgetts 8: Sydney Philharmonia Choirs © Dale Hodgetts

Spotlight

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 23

A HUGE LEGACY OF COMPOSERS Clare Stevens meets Three Choirs Festival Associate Composer Gavin Higgins

residency set up to deepen its historic ties with living composers and its commitment to new music. Half way through this year’s Gloucester Festival, he took a break from the busy schedule of rehearsals, performances and social gatherings to talk to me about the role and what it means to him.

‘T

he first half of the concert was eclipsed for me by the dark beauty and drama of The Faerie Bride by Gavin Higgins, a stunning cantata for two soloists, telling an old Welsh folk tale. Marta Fontanals-Simmons and Roderick Williams were utterly compelling actors as well as singers, and the Festival Chorus made the most of their interventions as belligerent villagers suspicious of the faerie bride. It’s a terrific piece.’ That’s how I described my first experience of hearing a live performance of a substantial work by Gavin Higgins, in a social media post from the Gloucester Three Choirs Festival (TCF) back in July 2023. So it was very satisfying to learn that Gavin had been appointed as the Festival’s first ever Associate Composer, the inaugural beneficiary of a three-year

Spotlight Spotlight

Born in Gloucester, Gavin was brought up in the Forest of Dean, where his family were deeply immersed in the brass band tradition. ‘I was given a cornet at the age of about three, so I don’t even remember learning to play, music was just a thing that we all just did, as a family.’ But of course this was an amateur tradition, and Gavin had no idea that music could be a way of earning a living until his father saw a magazine advertisement for Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and suggested Gavin should apply. ‘He thought it was a summer course so we schlepped up to Manchester, I auditioned on my tenor horn, and they asked if I played the piano – I couldn’t quite think why. I was self-taught on the piano, so I played “My heart will go on” from Titanic, because that was all I knew, and they went, “great, you can start in September”.’

Autumn 2026

Autumn 2026 2025

Spotlight 25

At Chetham’s, Gavin explains, he first encountered choral singing. ‘You had to sing in the choir, and I hadn’t done that before. Growing up it just wasn’t part of our lives. My family weren’t church-goers, and although we did start every brass band rehearsal with hymns, so I knew a lot of that music as four-part harmony, I didn’t know the words.’ His portfolio as a composer includes concertos for percussion, for trombone and for horn, and a concerto grosso for brass band and orchestra, commissioned by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBCNOW), together with ballet scores, chamber music, numerous pieces for orchestra and an opera, The Monstrous Child, commissioned by the Royal Opera House. But his inaugural commission from TCF, the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis premiered in Gloucester this summer, was his first experience of writing for a liturgical context. ‘I started off by listening to lots of settings by other composers, and I came to a service of Evensong in Gloucester Cathedral. It was only then that I realised that the soprano line was entirely sung by children; I had assumed there would be some older female singers as well, so I had to rethink my ideas a bit. I also realised that the altos are mainly male countertenors, and that gives the choir a very specific sound, with a very strong middle line. I’m a tenor horn player and that’s the same, the line can be quite boring but it’s very important to the harmony.’ Asked if setting the words of the Magnificat appealed to the storyteller in him, Gavin agrees: ‘Yes, I think so, there’s a lot of drama, particularly in the Magnificat when it gets going, and then the Nunc dimittis is like a lullaby really, that’s how

Spotlight

I saw it. I’ve taken things that I think are traditional in places, and other times I ignored it all and just did what I think makes sense for me, and for the narrative. I enjoyed the experience.’ He can’t give too much away about his commission for next year’s Worcester Festival, His Salt Skin, but tells me it will be for chorus and orchestra with soloists and is almost a partner piece to The Faerie Bride, written in collaboration with the same librettist, Francesca Simon. ‘It’s based on another “selkie” myth – The Faerie Bride was a “watery-wife” tale from Wales, His Salt Skin is a “watery-husband” tale from Scotland!’ This is Gavin’s third experience of a composer residency, following roles with the Ballet Rambert and BBCNOW. While it is always good to work with an organisation on a sequence of performances, he says the TCF scheme is particularly rewarding because it includes the opportunity to spend a whole week at the Festival, attending other concerts and getting to know the audience as well as the performers. ‘It means people are engaged with the idea of living music, and can discover that actually it’s quite fun to be able to have a drink with the composer in the bar and talk about his music. Wouldn’t you love to have done that with Beethoven? And with Grace-Evangeline Mason joining me as the Festival’s second Associate Composer, and then a third person being appointed the following year, there will eventually always be three composers overlapping. Three Choirs has this huge legacy of composers who have come here and it’s great that the Festival is committed to developing that.’

Autumn 2026

Grace-Evangeline Mason is the Three Choirs Festival’s Associate Composer for 2027–29, joining Gavin Higgins, whose residency will conclude in 2028. Grace’s orchestral work The Imagined Forest (2021) opened the 2024 Three Choirs Festival in Worcester, and we’re excited to hear what she brings to next year’s Festival and beyond. ‘I am elated to be the next Associate Composer of the Three Choirs Festival. Growing up in the West Midlands and

knowing the incredible legacy of the Festival, particularly its long and rich history of hosting the premieres of so many important works by composers that I greatly admire, it feels very special to be able to deepen my relationship with the Festival in this way. I am looking forward to sharing music, both old and new, with the exceptional audiences of the Festival, and being involved in the Festival’s inspiring community over the coming years.’ – Grace-Evangeline Mason

Autumn 2026

Spotlight 27

WORCESTER 24 – 31 JULY 2027 HEREFORD 29 JULY – 5 AUGUST 2028 GLOUCESTER 28 JULY – 4 AUGUST 2029

01452 768 928 3choirs.org @ThreeChoirs