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Introduction
I am excited to introduce this year’s Three Choirs Festival programme. I hope you will find it a pleasing mixture of the familiar and the innovative.
Our aim is always to honour the great tradition of the Three Choirs Festival by presenting masterpieces of the choralorchestral repertoire, whilst offering challenges by performing musical rarities and premieres. The evening concerts feature such pillars of the repertoire as Verdi’s Requiem, conducted by Edward Gardner, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony, each to be performed with passion and elegance by our resident orchestra, the Philharmonia, and the heroic Festival Chorus. We will also present some less commonly-performed works such as Holst’s The Mystic Trumpeter, David Matthews’s beautiful short cantata Stars (1970), Stanford’s Songs of the Fleet, and the first UK performance of Mendelssohn’s arrangement of Handel’s Israel in Egypt. Other items that may be new to you include Carl Davis’s Last Train to Tomorrow (2011), Stephen McNeff ’s The Burning Boy (2017) and Giles Swayne’s Our Orphan Souls (2014), and we are proud to present the first performance of Bob Chilcott ’s Christmas Oratorio.
We are honouring one very significant anniversary at the Festival: 150 years since the death of arguably the most influential composer of the 19th century, Hector Berlioz. We will present his unique masterpiece La Damnation de Faust on the opening night, with a stellar cast of soloists. This endlessly inventive work includes some of Berlioz’s most
beautiful music, and the astonishing climax has no parallel. We are also honouring Sir James MacMillan’s 60th birthday with an evensong consisting entirely of his music, and the first performance of an important new work for solo organ, played by John Scott Whiteley.
We are delighted that the BBC National Orchestra of Wales will be presenting a centenary performance of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, with the wonderful British virtuoso, Natalie Clein; and the spectacular Berlioz Overture Le Carnaval romain at this year’s festival. We are proud to honour in this concert the late John Joubert (who died in January this year), by offering a revival of his most significant choral-orchestral work, An English Requiem, which made a big impression at its premiere in Gloucester in 2010.
I believe that we are offering at Gloucester in 2019 a thrilling programme of old and new; and I hope that you will join us at the 292nd meeting of the Three Choirs Festival.
Adrian Partington, Artistic Director
All details, programmes and artists published in this brochure are correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to alteration.
Registered Office The Three Choirs Festival Association Ltd, 7c College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LX Registered Company No 00580176 Registered Charity No 204609
Adrian Partington © Michael Whitefoot
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
A glance at some of our key inspirations and programming strands connecting more than 70 events in this year's festival:
Adventures in Song
From the intrigue of a Tudor Court (Clare McCaldin in Mary’s Hand, p 18) to the dramatic escarpment of Wenlock Edge ( James Gilchrist, p 20), the solo voice can transport a listener to the heart of a time or place. This year’s recitals reach into history, landscape and the arc of human experience, from the terror of young man in a WWI trench ( Joshua Ellicott, p 18) to the touching lifecycles of Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été (p 26) and Somervell’s Maud (Roderick Williams, p 24).
Hymns to India
Cheltenham-born Gustav Holst’s interest in Indian culture was the catalyst for this exploration of a rich seam of AngloIndian connections. In partnership with the Holst Birthplace Museum and London’s Bhavan Centre you can try your hand at Bharatanatyam dance (p 24), discover the building blocks of Indian Classical Music and explore the origins of the Rig Veda (p 29), delve into Gloucestershire’s historic connections to India (p 31) and learn about the Holst Birthplace Museum’s collection from the composer’s ‘Indian Period’ (p 27). Activities for all the family include an Indian crafts morning and a musical retelling of the Ramayana from the Dr K Sextet (p 35), who also give a full recital of music exploring the world’s stories (p 32). Holst’s own settings of Rig Veda can be heard in Painswick (Set I, p 31) and in a singular event interweaving contemporary choral settings and traditional chanting of Rig Veda (Set III, p 29)
Joshua Ellicott © Sane Seven
Roderick Williams
John Tavener © Adrian Burrows
Clare McCaldin as Mary Tudor © Robert Workman
Roxanna Panufnik © Paul Marc
Berlioz 150
The 150th anniversary of the death of Romantic visionary Hector Berlioz was one of the very first milestones to shape this year’s programme, beginning with the extraordinary La Damnation de Faust on the first night in Gloucester Cathedral (p 10). Later in the week, you can hear his orchestral firecracker Le Carnaval Romain (p 19) and the seductive song cycle Les nuits d’été (p 26) and find out more about his life and work from Berlioz expert Hugh MacDonald (p 9).
New Notes: New Voices
Music by living composers is an important part of every festival programme, but especially this year, where each performance with young performers to the fore features music of today. Stephen McNeff’s musictheatre-come-miracle-play The Burning Boy (p 8) and Carl Davis’s Last Train to Tomorrow (p 32) bookend a week which sees the Youth Choir give a UK premiere (p 17), the Rodolfus Choir pay tribute to John Tavener (p 14) and the Three Cathedral Choirs – including the girl and boy choristers – premiere Bob Chilcott’s A Christmas Oratorio (p 25).
Also premiered at the festival will be Robert Saxton’s Violin Sonata for Madeleine Mitchell (p 12), a new song by Ian Venables for Roderick Williams (p 24), a new choral work by Sally Lamb McCune (p 29) and a solo organ piece for John Scott Whiteley from Sir James Macmillan, who celebrates his 60th birthday in 2019 (p 15). To celebrate this birthday of one of the UK’s great choral composers, the festival showcases some of his finest work, including Seven Last Words from the Cross (p 7), four stirring works in the Broadcast Choral Evensong (p 21) and elegiac rhapsodies for solo violin (p 12).
Carl Davis
Hector Berlioz
James Gilchrist
Bob Chilcott
Shivaangee Agrawal
ABOUT US
Three Choirs Festival
The Three Choirs Festival is a week-long programme of choral and orchestral concerts, cathedral services, solo and chamber music recitals, talks, theatre, family events, exhibitions and social activities, rotating each summer between the beautiful cathedral cities of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford. It’s thought to be the longest-standing classical music festival in the world and celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2015. At the heart of the modern festival are large-scale evening concerts featuring the Three Choirs Festival Chorus and the Philharmonia Orchestra (resident at the festival since 2012) alongside internationally-recognised soloists.
The festival’s packed schedule of daytime events and the friendly atmosphere of our bustling festival village is augmented by a growing programme of bespoke community and outreach projects beginning in the run up to the festival and showcased as part of the festival programme.
Each year, the festival elects a nominated charity to receive a share of collections taken at the Opening Service. This year, Gloucester continues its ongoing support of Mindsong, who bring music therapies to those living with dementia.
Important Dates
Monday 8 April
Gold and Life Members booking opens
Monday 15 April
Standard Members booking opens
Wednesday 24 April
General booking opens
Friday 26 July – Saturday 3 August
Three Choirs Festival 2019
Orchestra in Residence
The Philharmonia Orchestra is a worldclass symphony orchestra for the 21st century, led by Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor Esa-Pekka Salonen.
The Orchestra’s home is Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, London, where it presents over 50 performances each year. Six other residencies across the UK bring the Philharmonia to a wide national audience. Internationally, the Philharmonia is active across Europe, Asia and the USA.
Founded in 1945, the Phiharmonia has been self-governing since 1964 and is owned by its 80 members. Salonen has been Principal Conductor since 2008. Jakub Hrůša and Santtu-Matias Rouvali are Principal Guest Conductors and Christoph von Dohnányi and Vladimir Ashkenazy are honorary conductors.
The Philharmonia’s Principal International Partner is Wuliangye.
Puppetry by About Face Theatre
Philharmonia Orchestra © Ash Mills
SEVEN LAST WORDS FROM THE CROSS
7.45 – 9.40 pm Tewkesbury Abbey
£35, £30, £22, £12
Choir of Merton College, Oxford
Bristol Ensemble
Benjamin Nicholas conductor
Judith Weir Ave Regina Caelorum 4'
Dobrinka Tabakova Alma redemptoris
mater 4'
James MacMillan Miserere 11'
Arvo Pärt Cantus in Memoriam
Benjamin Britten 7'
Gabriel Jackson Countless and Wonderful are the Ways to Praise
God 9'
James MacMillan Seven Last Words from the Cross 45'
The acclaimed choir of Merton College, Oxford celebrates Sir James MacMillan’s 60th birthday year with his spellbinding masterpiece Seven Last Words from the Cross, an intensely moving account of the final moments of Christ’s crucifixion. A selection of reflective works from some of Britain’s finest choral composers opens the concert, with the first half culminating in Gabriel Jackson’s vivid and jubilant motet.
Coach departs 6.45 pm; returns by approx. 10.30 pm
Tewkesbury Abbey
Opening Service
11 am – 12 noon Cathedral
FREE (ticket required)
Gloucester Cathedral Choir
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
Jonathan Hope organ
RWCMD Ensemble
Adrian Partington conductor
Elgar Te Deum
Janet Wheeler We sing to God
Stanford Psalm 150
Doors open at 10.15 am and processions begin at 10.45 am, please be seated no later than 10.40 am
Supported by the D G Albright Trust
The Burning Boy
2 – 3.15 pm Tewkesbury Abbey £25, £20, £12, £8
Stephen McNeff The Burning Boy 70'
With a libretto by renowned children’s poet Charles Causley, this ‘miracle play for music theatre’ weaves the story of Elijah into a harvest-time tale set in a rural England rich in folklore and ritual. With a chorus of young harvesters drawn from Gloucestershire and a professional cast, prepare to be enchanted by the immediacy and emotion of this ancient tale.
£9
Coach departs 1 pm; returns by approx. 4 pm
Luke Jones Piano Recital
2 – 3.15 pm St Mary de Crypt
£15
Debussy Images, Book 1 15'
Chopin Ballade No 4 in F minor 12'
Prokofiev Sonata No 8 in B flat 30'
Luke Jones, winner of the 2018 Bromsgrove International Competition presents a programme of pianistic fireworks with three evocatively lyrical masterpieces of the Romantic piano repertoire.
Tewkesbury Abbey Organ Recital
4.30 – 5.30 pm Tewkesbury Abbey
£12 unreserved
Steven McIntyre organ
Bach Pièce d’Orgue, BWV 572 10'
Anon. Ane lessone upon the first psalme 10'
Rory Boyle Three Pieces 11'
Franck Prelude, Fugue and Variation 11'
Vierne extracts from Symphony No 3 10'
Tewkesbury Abbey’s magnificent organ is the first to feature in our tour of Gloucestershire’s finest, with each recital given by a young organist selected by the Royal College of Organists.
£9
Coach departs 3.30 pm; returns by approx. 6.20 pm
Supported by Father Michael Thomas
Hugh MacDonald on Berlioz
5 – 6.15 pm St Mary de Crypt
£20 (includes a light tea)
Hugh MacDonald gives a talk on the life and work of Berlioz in his anniversary year ahead of tonight’s performance of La Damnation de Faust, accompanied by afternoon tea with representatives of the Berlioz Society.
The Damnation of Faust
7 – 9.50 pm Cathedral
See following page for more information
A Sacred Journey: From Bach to the Antebellum South
10.15 – 11.30 pm St Mary De Crypt
£17
Enigmatic improvising pianist Alexander Douglas takes a series of Bach chorales as a stimulus for improvisations in a style spanning the spirituals, gospel music and jazz. In turn, African-American spirituals will be interpreted and brought into dialogue with Bach's work in this fascinating collision between Reformation Germany and the Deep South of early nineteenth-century America.
Alexander Douglas © M. Sicilia
THE DAMNATION OF FAUST
7 – 9.50 pm Cathedral
£55, £50, £32, £25, £15
Susan Bickley mezzo-soprano (Marguerite)
Peter Hoare tenor (Faust)
Christopher Purves baritone (Méphistophélès)
David Ireland bass (Brander)
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
Choristers of Gloucester Cathedral
Philharmonia Orchestra
Adrian Partington conductor
Berlioz La Damnation de Faust 136'
Berlioz’s fantastically inventive choral triumph – part cantata, part opera, and part grand orchestral fantasy – was described by Thomas Beecham as ‘a glorious bunch of tunes’. We welcome a stellar cast of soloists to this musically thrilling tour-de-force, depicting everything from tender love duets, to student drinking songs, to a galloping ride to hell.
SUNDAY 28 JULY
Drama Workshop
Shakespearean Journeys
10 – 11 am (ages 7-12) and 11.30 am – 12.30 pm (ages 13-16)
Old Bishop’s Palace Garden £6
A practical exploration of word and movement in Shakespeare’s plays. See p 34 for more details.
Festival Eucharist
10.15 – 11.45 am Cathedral FREE (no ticket required)
Gloucester Cathedral Choir
Jonathan Hope organ
Adrian Partington conductor
Diana Burrell Missa Brevis
Giles Swayne The bread of life
Michael Tavinor Surely the Lord is in this place
Lydia Kakabadse Pater noster; Panis Angelicus from Cantica Sacra
Cecilia McDowall Sacred and hallowed fire
FamiLy EVEnt Antara Duo
2.30 – 3.30 pm St Mary de Lode £6 (ideal for ages 5-11)
A lively and engaging introduction to chamber music. See p 34 for more details
Supported by the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust
SUNDAY
Antara Duo © Kaupo Kikkas
Madeleine Mitchell
4 – 6 pm St Catharine’s Church
£25, £20, U26 FREE
Madeleine Mitchell violin
Clare Hammond piano
Howells Three Pieces 10'
Gurney May Carol; The Apple Orchard; Scherzo 10'
Robert Saxton Suite (premiere) 18'
Ian Venables Three Pieces 10'
James MacMillan Kiss on Wood 8'
G Williams Sonata 18'
Violinist Madeleine Mitchell revives a trio of unpublished works by famed Gloucestershire composer Ivor Gurney and gives us a rare chance to hear Grace Williams’ lyrical Sonata, alongside a varied selection of works written specially for Madeleine, including the world premiere of a lively new suite by Robert Saxton.
£5
Coach departs 3.15 pm; returns by approx. 6.30 pm
Choral Evensong
5.30 – 6.15 pm Cathedral Quire FREE (no ticket required)
Three Cathedral Choirs
Jonathan Hope organ
Geraint Bowen conductor
Philip Moore Responses (Set 3)
Kerensa Briggs The Gloucester Service
M Shaw The greater light
Vaughan Williams Prelude and Fugue in C minor
Verdi Requiem
7.45 – 9 pm Cathedral
See following page for more information
Hymnos: the Handel Project
10.15 – 11.30 pm St Mary de Crypt
£17
Clarinettist Alexander Douglas leads his self-styled ‘jazz chamber ensemble’ Hymnos in an improvisatory exploration of Handel’s best-known musical themes.
Evensong © Ash Mills
Madeleine Mitchell © Rama Knight
VERDI REQUIEM
7.45 – 9 pm Cathedral
£55, £50, £32, £25, £15
Hye-Youn Lee soprano
Christine Rice alto
David Butt Philip tenor
James Platt bass
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
Philharmonia Orchestra
Edward Gardner conductor
Verdi Messa da requiem 84'
Giuseppe Verdi composed his dramatic Messa da requiem in 1874, in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist whom Verdi admired. By turns terrifying and heart-breakingly beautiful, it is well-known for its exquisite melodies and depth of emotion, as one might expect from the master of Italian opera.
Supported by the Friends of Gloucester
Three Choirs Festival
Edward Gardner © Benjamin Ealovega
Ivor Gurney
9.30 – 10.30 am St Mary de Lode
£12 (includes coffee and pastries)
Soprano April Fredrick shares her love of famed Gloucestershire composer Gurney’s music and poetry, much of which was written in the trenches of World War I, and whose life and work she has researched extensively.
thrEE Choirs FEstiVaL
soCiEty outinG
Berkeley Castle
9.30 am – 1.15 pm Berkeley Castle
£25 including travel and refreshments (Society members only)
Dating back to the 11th century, the intriguing Berkeley Castle has played host to royalty, film crews, and everything in between. This visit offers Society members a chance to explore an extraordinary jewel in the crown of British history.
FamiLy EVEnt Dance! Dance!
11.30 am – 12.15 pm St Mary de Lode
£5 adults, children FREE (ideal for babies, toddlers and their siblings)
Lilliput violin duo entertains with jigs, reels, waltzes and tangos. See p 34 for more details.
Rodolfus
Choir
11.30 am – 1 pm Cathedral £30, £25, £20, £15, £10
Rodolfus Choir
Ralph Allwood conductor Francis Grier Pax; Baby asleep; …at midnight 16' Tavener O, do not move; As one who has slept; Eonia; The Lord’s Prayer; What God is, we do not know; The Founder’s Prayer; Butterfly Dreams 31' Elgar Go, Song of Mine; Death on the Hills; The Prince of Sleep 14' Mahler (arr. Gottwald) Die zwei blauen Augen 6'
Debussy (arr. Gottwald Des pas sur la neige 4'
The vibrant young Rodolfus Choir returns to the festival with a programme inspired by peacefulness and serenity. Featuring music by Elgar and Tavener, and with the highly acclaimed Ralph Allwood at the helm, this recital is sure to be an oasis of calm and reflection during a busy week.
Ivor Gurney
Berkeley Castle
Celebrity Organ Recital
John Scott Whiteley
2 – 3.15 pm Cathedral
£20 unreserved
John Scott Whiteley organ
Tournemire Improvisation sur le Victimae
paschali laudes 8'
Bach Prelude and Fugue in F minor, BWV 534 9'
Judith Weir The Tree of Peace 4'
James MacMillan Gaudeamus in loci pace 6'
James MacMillan new work (premiere) 8'
Cochereau Symphonie in B flat minor 25'
This year’s celebrity organist will be the dynamic John Scott Whiteley, who has recently recorded the entirety of Bach’s organ works for the BBC. Today’s recital includes the premiere of a new commission by James MacMillan and Bach’s densely intricate Prelude and Fugue in F minor.
FamiLy EVEnt
Tommy Foggo Superhero
2 – 3.15 pm Gloucester Guildhall
£10, £8 children (ideal for ages 7+)
A magical multi-media tale of a life saved by music. See p 35 for more details.
Philharmonia Young Musicians Recital
4.15 – 5.30 pm St Mary de Crypt
£15, U26 FREE
Camilla Marchant flute
Emily Mitchell trumpet
Owen Nicolaou double bass
Fellows of the Philharmonia's Young Artist programme showcase their talents in a varied programme of chamber music by Fauré, Dvořák and Piazzolla.
Choral Evensong
5.30 – 6.15 pm Cathedral Quire FREE (no ticket required)
Girl Choristers of Gloucester and Worcester Cathedrals
Nicholas Freestone organ
Nia Llewelyn Jones conductor
June Nixon Responses
Sumsion Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D Schubert Gott ist mein Hirt
Rachmaninov Vespers
8 – 9.15 pm Cathedral
See following page for more information
Tango Stravinsky Bach
10 – 11.15 pm Gloucester Guildhall
£20
Adrián Varela explores the links between the music of Piazzolla and the tango master ’s classical idols Bach and Stravinsky, alongside familiar and new original material. A totally immersive experience, melding video with the music of this versatile, 5-piece electric ensemble.
Adrián Varela
RACHMANINOV VESPERS
8 – 9.15 pm Cathedral
£40, £35, £25, £20, £15
Ex Cathedra
Jeffrey Skidmore conductor
Rachmaninov All-Night Vigil (Vespers) 70'
Supported by Peter Cottingham and Lee Bolton Monier-Williams
This unaccompanied choral masterpiece is praised as one of Rachmaninov’s greatest musical achievements. Based on Orthodox chants, the haunting interweaving melodies express Rachmaninov’s deep and introspective faith in the most beautiful terms. Ex Cathedra perform this sublime work resplendent in the fading summer light of Gloucester’s magnificent cathedral.
Ex Cathedra © Roger Cable
Singing for Mental Health
9.30 – 10.30 am St Mary de Lode
£12 (includes coffee and pastries)
Rosie Perkins considers how and why singing supports mental health, drawing on recent research from the Centre for Performance Science, a partnership of the Royal College of Music and Imperial College London.
ELGar soCiEty LEC turE
Elgar and English Cathedral Music
11 am – 12.15 pm St Mary de Lode
£12
Until 1969 the choir of Worcester Cathedral did not sing any Elgar at all. Why was his music neglected even at Worcester? Is it neglected still? Timothy Day discusses Elgar and English Cathedral Music, illustrated with historic sound recordings.
12.45 pm Elgar Society Lunch
£30 or £40 to include the morning talk
Lunch will be served at St Mary de Crypt following the morning’s lecture. All welcome
The Armed Man
11 am – 12.20 pm Cathedral
£35, £30, £25, £15, £10
Gregory Bannan baritone
Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir
Philharmonia Players
Samuel Hudson conductor
Giles Swayne
Our Orphan Souls (UK premiere) 12'
Karl Jenkins The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace 63'
Our Youth Choir performs Karl Jenkins’ enduringly popular The Armed Man, a
work which draws on diverse cultures and styles to look back on conflict and express a worldwide hope for the future. Alongside this, a dramatic setting of an excerpt from Moby-Dick by Giles Swayne receives its UK premiere.
Supported by Michael Guittard and Harry Prince
Get involved!
If you’re an experienced singer aged 14-25, why not join in? You can find full details of what to expect and how to apply at 3choirs.org/youth-choir
Much Ado About Nothing
1.30 – 3.30 pm
Old Bishop’s Palace Garden £17, £10 children
The Festival Players
ʻThe course of true love never did run smooth’, but the sparring antics of Shakespeare’s erstwhile lovers, Beatrice and Benedick, provide great hilarity for the other members of the household who plot to reunite them. This delicious comedy will be performed in an energetic, colourful production, with original songs by Johnny Coppin.
Please note that this is an outdoor performance which will be relocated only in the event of extremely adverse weather conditions.
Edward Elgar
TUESDAY
TUESDAY
Joshua Ellicott
2 – 4 pm St Catharine’s Church £30, £25
Joshua Ellicott tenor
Simon Lepper piano
Finzi A Young Man’s Exhortation 27'
Various/Ellicott From your ever-loving son, Jack 60'
This unique recital intersperses songs by early twentieth-century composers with readings of letters home from the trenches from Joshua Ellicott’s own great-uncle Jack. By turns funny, surprising and deeply moving, the letters chart Jack’s progress from his training to the front, and his day-to-day ups and downs speak for the many thousands of soldiers like him.
£5
taLk
Coach departs 1.15 pm; returns by approx. 4.15 pm
1919: The Peace that Never Was
5 – 6.15 pm St Mary de Lode £12
Festival Chairman, Dr Timothy Brain, looks at 1919, the first year of peace after the greatest war the world had ever seen. The peacemakers at Versailles, however, sowed the seeds for an even greater conflict.
Choral Evensong
5.30 – 6.15 pm Cathedral Quire
FREE (no ticket required)
St Cecilia Singers
Christopher Too organ
Jonathan Hope conductor
Jonathan Hope Responses (premiere)
David Bednall Gloucester Service
Ian Venables O Sing Aloud to God
Holst (arr. Richard Brasier) Scherzo from The Unfinished Symphony
An English Requiem
7.30 – 9.30 pm Cathedral
See following page for more information
Mary’s Hand
10 – 11.15 pm St Mary de Crypt £17
‘I am the one you do not like’. So begins Clare McCaldin’s new interactive one-woman opera exploring the life of Mary Tudor, first Queen Regnant of England. Remembered as Bloody Mary and surrounded by political and religious intrigue she risked her head, heart and even her soul to survive. Mary loved card games and Fortune dealt her a tricky hand. Let Mary set the record straight: choose a card so we may begin…
Clare McCaldin as Mary Tudor © Robert Workman
Joshua Ellicott © Sane Seven
AN ENGLISH REQUIEM
7.30 – 9.30 pm Cathedral
£50, £45, £32, £25, £15
April Fredrick soprano
Neal Davies baritone
Natalie Clein cello
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
Three Cathedral Choir Choristers
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Adrian Partington conductor
Berlioz Le Carnaval Romain 8'
Elgar Cello Concerto 30'
Joubert An English Requiem 45'
In contrast to the orchestral whirlwind of Berlioz’s Le Carnaval Romain, Joubert’s richly atmospheric English Requiem, premiered at the festival in 2010, comprises a series of reflections on death, charting an emotional trajectory from despair to bright hope. Alongside this, Elgar’s last major orchestral work, the contemplative Cello Concerto is performed by the captivating Natalie Clein.
Supported by Mr and Mrs David Ball
This concert will be recorded for future broadcast
TUESDAY
Natalie Clein © Neda Navaee
31 JULY WEDNESDAY
The Real Bloody Mary
9.30 – 10.30 am St Mary de Lode
£12 (includes coffee and pastries)
Who was the real ‘Bloody Mary’?
Elaborating on the revelations in Clare McCaldin’s dramatisation of Mary Tudor ’s life at last night’s event, historian Linda Porter presents a rounded view of England’s first sovereign queen, a woman whose dramatic life finds many echoes in our own times.
James MacMillan in Conversation
11 am – 12.15 pm St Mary de Lode
£12
James MacMillan joins Adrian Partington ahead of today’s broadcast evensong of his work to discuss his music and the impact his faith has had on his writing.
On Wenlock Edge
11 am – 1 pm Cirencester Parish Church £30, £25, U26 FREE
James Gilchrist tenor
Anna Tilbrook piano
Carducci Quartet
Ian Venables Songs of Eternity and Sorrow 16'
Ravel String Quartet 30'
Debussy De Soir; Noël des enfants qui n’ont plus de maisons; Eventail; Green 12'
Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge 25'
Six titans of chamber music come together for this selection of beautifully evocative, nostalgic works. James Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook perform a selection of Debussy’s fresh and seductively impressionistic songs, and join the Carducci Quartet for two cycles of Housman settings; while the Carduccis perform Ravel’s colourfully sparkling masterpiece.
£9
Coach departs 9.45 am; returns by approx. 2 pm
Supported by Richard Hall
Carducci Quartet © Tom Barnes
Drumming Workshop
11.30 am – 12.15 pm
Old Bishop’s Palace Garden
£6 (ideal for ages 6+)
Learn some simple Samba and African drumming in this high energy drumming workshop. See p 35 for more details.
Much Ado About Nothing
1.30 – 3.30 pm
Old Bishop’s Palace Garden £17, £10 children
The Festival Players
ʻThe course of true love never did run smooth’ , but the sparring antics of Shakespeare’s erstwhile lovers, Beatrice and Benedick, provide great hilarity for the other members of the household who plot to reunite them. This delicious comedy will be performed in an energetic, colourful production, with original songs by Johnny Coppin.
Please note that this is an outdoor performance which will be relocated only in the event of extremely adverse weather conditions.
Cirencester Organ Recital
2 – 3 pm Cirencester Parish Church £12 unreserved
Anita Datta organ
Byrd A Voluntarie (for My Ladye Nevell); Fantasia 10'
Saint-Saëns movements from Sept Improvisations 25'
Bach Fantasia and Fugue BWV 904 8'
Langlais Fête 6'
The second in our series of recitals by young organists features essentials of the organ repertoire from across the centuries.
£9
Coach departs 12.45 pm; returns by approx. 4 pm
Supported by Father Michael Thomas
Choral Evensong
3.30 – 4.15 pm Cathedral Quire FREE (no ticket required)
Three Cathedral Choirs
Jonathan Hope organ
Adrian Partington conductor
James MacMillan Benedicimus Deum Caeli
Hunt Responses
James MacMillan Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis
James MacMillan O give thanks James MacMillan Meditation
This service will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Please be seated by 3.15 pm
James Gilchrist
© Patrick Allen
The Festival Players
Three Deans’ Sporting Contest and Gloucester Friends’ Tea
5 – 6.30 pm Old Bishop’s Palace Garden £15 (includes a light tea)
Our Gloucester Friends invite you to join them at a garden party and to cheer on your cathedral Dean of choice at the latest fixture in the ultimate battle for sporting supremacy.
Please note that this is an outdoor event which will be relocated only in the event of extremely adverse weather conditions.
Israel in Egypt
7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral
See following page for more information
Papagena: Nuns and Roses
10.15 – 11.15 pm St Mary de Crypt
£17
Flory Jagoda (arr. Suzzie Vango)
Hamisha asar
Scarlatti Cor mio deh non languire
Hildegard of Bingen O virtus sapientiae
Kedrov Otche nash
Tone Krohn Det lisle banet
Scot. Trad. (arr Papagena) My love’s like a red, red rose
Matti Hyökki On suuri sun rantas
Jaakko Mantyjarvi Pseudo-Yoik Lite
Joni Mitchell (arr. Jim Clements) River
Don MacDonald When the Earth Stands Still
Guns N’ Roses Sweet Child O’ Mine
Jim Clements The woman’s IF
Jetse Bremer Sigh No More, Ladies
Libby Larsen Jack’s Valentine
Imogen Heap Hide and Seek
Purcell (arr. Gunnar Eriksson) Music for a while
Don MacDonald Fusion
Stunning a cappella vocal quintet Papagena explore the full gamut of close harmony music from the 11th to the 21st century. From sacred hymns and ancient madrigals, to inventive arrangements of Guns N’ Roses, Imogen Heap and Joni Mitchell, this is sure to be a brilliant evening of entertainment.
Papagena
Three Deans © Michael Whitefoot
ISRAEL IN EGYPT
7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral
£50, £45, £32, £25, £15
Susanna Fairbairn soprano
Rebecca Afonwy Jones soprano
Jess Dandy alto
Stuart Jackson tenor
James Newby bass
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
Philharmonia Orchestra
Geraint Bowen conductor
Handel (arr. Mendelssohn) Israel in Egypt (UK concert premiere) 83'
One of Handel’s most dramatic and exciting oratorios, Israel in Egypt tells the biblical story of the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt and their escape across the Red Sea. The ten plagues descending on the Egyptians are astoundingly descriptive: pelting hail and the buzzing flies and locusts are vividly conjured in sound. This arrangement by Mendelssohn, created for his own large chorus, has never been heard in concert in the UK.
Supported by The Gloucester Chairman’s Circle
Cheltenham College Chapel
Organ Recital
10 – 11 am Cheltenham College Chapel
£12 unreserved
Christopher Strange organ
Bruhns Praeludium in G 8'
Howells Psalm Prelude Set 2, No 2 8'
Mendelssohn Allegro, Chorale and Fugue 10'
Vierne extracts from Symphony No 1 25'
Cheltenham College Chapel organ has undergone an extensive refurbishment since the festival was last in Gloucester, and today’s young organist showcases the excellent results.
£7
Coach departs 9 am returns by approx. 11.30 am
Supported by Father Michael Thomas
Roderick Williams
11.30 am – 1.15 pm
Cheltenham College Theatre
£30
Roderick Williams baritone
Susie Allan piano
Parry English Lyrics, Volume 7 14'
Kevin Brown Description of Spring 3'
Ian Venables What then? 3' (world premiere)
Bernadette Marmion When you are old 3'
Christopher Maxim There is sweet Music 3'
Elaine Hugh-Jones Eight O’Clock 1'
Pamela Mellor Winter’s End; Spring 3'
Vaughan Williams The Splendour falls; Blackmwore by the Stour 6'
Somervell Maud 36'
The ever-popular Roderick Williams returns to the festival with his longstanding accompanist Susie Allan in a programme that charts the diversity and passion of English song. From
Somervell’s pioneering Maud, which sparked a trend of melancholically dramatic lyrical narrative in Romantic song, to a new piece by Ian Venables, the heir of this long tradition of song.
£7
Coach departs 10.30 am returns by approx. 1.45 pm
thrEE Choirs FEstiVaL soCiEty Members’ Lunch
1.30 – 3 pm Cheltenham College Library
£30
Join fellow Society members for a twocourse lunch, followed by an address by Society President Roderick Williams.
£7
Coach departs 12.45 pm returns by approx. 3.30 pm
The Three Choirs Festival Society AGM will take place on Sunday 28 July at 1.30 pm at St Mary de Crypt.
Indian Dance Workshop
2 – 3.15 pm, Gloucester Academy of Music
£10
Shivaangee Agrawal leads an interactive workshop on Bharatanatyam and Karnatic Rhythms. Aimed at adults, the workshop requires no prior movement or musical experience. Come and try something new!
Bharatanatyam Showcase
3.45 – 4.30 pm
Gloucester Academy of Music
£12, £5 children and workshop attendees
Shivaangee Agrawal follows her workshop with a solo performance of Bharatanatyam, a genre of the Indian classical dance tradition characterised by the use of intricate gesture to communicate a story or idea.
Chilcott Christmas Oratorio
4.30 – 6 pm Cathedral
£40, £35, £25, £20, £15
Sarah Connolly mezzo-soprano
Nick Pritchard tenor
Neal Davies baritone
Three Cathedral Choirs
Philharmonia Players
Adrian Partington conductor
Handl Impetum inimicorum 6'
Victoria Laetatus sum 7'
Britten A Ceremony of Carols 23'
Bob Chilcott Christmas Oratorio (premiere) 50'
It’s Christmas in August! We bring you the best of the festive season in Britten’s beautiful masterpiece A Ceremony of Carols. This concert also offers the first chance to hear a new commission by Bob Chilcott, and a rare opportunity to hear the lower voices of the combined cathedral choirs in intricate Renaissance polyphony. This concert will be recorded for future broadcast
Supported by Dame Amelia Fawcett.
Sarah Connolly supported by Jeremy Wilding and Sue Vaughan W uL
A History of English Song
6.15 – 7.15 pm St Mary de Lode
£12
Ian Venables, ‘Britain’s greatest living composer of art song’ (Musical Opinion), explores the evolution of English song and the host of composers with a local connection who have contributed so much to this genre.
Supported by Katharine O’Carroll and Robert and Sherill Atkins
Summer Nights
7.45 – 10 pm Cathedral
See following page for more information
Lay Clerks in Concert
10.30 – 11.30 pm St Mary de Crypt
£17
Gloucester Cathedral Choir present an evening of light entertainment with repertoire spanning many centuries and styles.
Come & Sing
Spend a day singing some of Bob Chilcott ’s best-loved music and a sneak preview of his new Christmas Oratorio under the composer's baton in Gloucester on 25 May 2019. Discounts available if you book both the Come & Sing and the Christmas Oratorio concert. More info at 3choirs.org
Shivaangee Agrawal
Bob Chilcott
© John Bellars
SUMMER NIGHTS
7.45 – 10 pm Cathedral
£50, £45, £32, £25, £15
Kathryn Rudge mezzo-soprano
Philharmonia Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins conductor
Stravinsky Second Suite from The Firebird (1919) 23'
Berlioz Les nuits d’été 31'
Walton Symphony No 1 43'
Our orchestra-in-residence presents three visionary orchestral pieces under the assured baton of Martyn Brabbins, beginning with Stravinsky’s sparkling Firebird Suite, as fresh and invigorating today as it was a century ago. Brimming over with savage emotional intensity, Walton’s ferociously compelling First Symphony concludes the concert, while Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été – despite its innocuous title – explores a life cycle of love and loss.
Martyn Brabbins © Benjamin Ealovega
Holst and India
9.30 – 10.30 am St Mary de Lode
£12 (includes coffee and pastries)
Explore Gustav Holst’s love of Indian culture and its influence on his work in this illustrated talk by Angela Applegate from the Holst Birthplace Museum in Cheltenham. Angela will draw on the collections held at the museum, including the autograph manuscript of Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda and costumes from a 1970s production of his chamber opera Savitri
The Holst Birthplace Museum in Cheltenham is open Tuesday – Saturday 10.30 am – 4 pm. holstmuseum.org.uk
FamiLy EVEnt
Arts and Crafts Drop-In: A Taste of India
Drop in between 11.30 am – 1.30 pm
St Mary de Lode
£5 (ideal for all ages)
Discover all about India through crafts!
See p 35 for more details.
Mendelssohn’s Octet
11 am – 12.45 pm Cathedral
£30, £25, £20, £15, £10, U26 FREE
Philharmonia Chamber Players
F Mendelssohn String Quartet 17'
Joseph Phibbs String Quartet No 2 20'
Joubert Miniature String Quartet 8'
Mendelssohn Octet 30'
A chance to see some of the familiar faces of our in-residence Philharmonia Orchestra in a chamber music setting. Felix Mendelssohn’s resplendent Octet for double string quartet is paired with a rare chance to hear his sister’s lesser known, but equally rich, String Quartet. In between, sits an exhilarating work by Joseph Phibbs, whose Memento Musica was premiered at the 2016 festival to much acclaim.
And There Grow Flowers: Remembering FW Harvey
11 am – 1 pm Minsterworth Church
£15, £10, £5
Sabrinensis Chamber Choir
Cranham Handbell Ringers
Gaudemus Youth Strings
Judith Sheridan conductor
Will Harvey was a contemporary and friend of Ivor Gurney and Herbert Howells. This concert explores the warmth of Will Harvey’s character and his relationship with Gloucestershire throughout his life, celebrating his new commemoration window in Minsterworth Church. Harvey’s story is woven through music, poetry and readings.
£7
Coach departs 10 am; returns approx. 1.30 pm
FRIDAY
The story of Savitri and Satyavan
Will Harvey
Guided Tour of Llanthony
Secunda Priory
Tours lasting one hour at 12.30 and 1.30 pm Llanthony Secunda Priory £12
Explore the newly restored remains of the former Augustinian Priory, founded in 1136. By the end of the 15th century Llanthony Secunda was the richest Augustinian house in England, entertaining the court of Henry VII in 1500 and 1501.
Sanders Society Lunch
1 – 2.30 pm St Mary de Crypt £30 (includes cold buffet lunch)
The Sanders Society hosts a lunch with guest speaker Richard Shephard, one of the UK’s pre-eminent composers of church music who began his musical life as a chorister at Gloucester Cathedral.
The Glevum Consort
2.30 – 3.40 pm Llanthony Secunda Priory £17
The Glevum Consort look back to Llanthony Secunda Priory ’s 13th-century heyday, when texts such as the Old English Edi Beo Thu, now commonly known as the Llanthony Carol, were housed within its walls. The concert traces the history of medieval Gloucester through music, arriving at Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices, which in this intimate setting will recall their original early performances in secret Catholic Masses during Elizabeth I’s reign.
Coach departs 1.45 pm; returns by approx. 4 pm
Supported by Elspeth Barkes
Donald Hunt, Roy Massey, John Sanders and John Joubert © Derek Foxton
Exploring Indian Classical Music
3 – 4.15 pm St Mary de Lode
£12
Balu Raguraman violin
M Balachandra mridangam
Leading South Indian performers from The Bhavan Centre in London present an afternoon of Karnatic Raga music. An improvisation around ancient melodic and rhythmic structures, Raga is an intoxicating interplay of musical inspiration and mathematical precision.
taLk
The Rig Veda
5 – 6 pm St Mary de Lode
£12
Vedic chanting dates back three millennia and is arguably the oldest surviving vocal tradition. Passed down orally through generations of performers and scholars, these ancient hymns are performed today as they were at the end of the Bronze Age. This talk is an introduction to the Vedas by Subhanu Saxena, a leading philosopher of the Vedas and eminent exponent of Vedic chanting.
Vaughan Williams Society Tea and Talk
5.30 – 7 pm St Mary de Crypt
£20 (includes a light tea)
Join the Vaughan Williams Society for a light tea and an interesting talk by special guest David Owen Norris on the composer’s life and music.
A Sea Symphony
7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral
See following page for more information
Meditations on the Rig Veda
10.30 – 11.30 pm Cathedral Quire
£15
The Oriel Singers
Ben Sawyer conductor
Catherine White harp
Subhanu Saxena, Dr Nanda Kumar chanters
Holst Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Group 3 13'
Sally Lamb McCune Common be our Prayer (premiere) 2'
Anna R Matthews Asvins 4'
Coulthard Hymn of Creation 7'
Roxanna Panufnik Child of Heaven 4'
In the stillness of a candlelit quire, this meditative event weaves together Vedic chant led by members of the Bhavan centre with choral settings of these Hindu texts.
Jean Coulthard, a student of Vaughan Williams, exalts the mystery of creation, while delicate music of contemporary composers Anna R Matthews, Roxanna Panufnik and Sally Lamb McCune embraces the listener, mirroring the celestial beauty of Holst’s settings for choir and solo harp.
Rig Veda
A SEA SYMPHONY
7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral
£55, £50, £32, £25, £15
Katherine Broderick soprano
Roderick Williams baritone
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
Philharmonia Orchestra
Geraint Bowen conductor
Stanford Songs of the Fleet 26'
Vaughan Williams Symphony No 1 (A Sea Symphony) 63'
“Behold, the sea!” This nautical programme brings together two contrasting works imbued with a sense of adventure and the mighty power of the sea. Vaughan Williams’ strikingly original A Sea Symphony announces itself with a brass fanfare and from its first notes conjures a vision of panoramic horizons and brave voyage.
Supported by The American Friends of the Three Choirs Festival and the Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust; Katherine Broderick supported by Joanna Brickell; Roderick Williams supported by Pamela White
Roderick Williams
3 AUGUST SATURDAY
Paradise Lost? Gloucestershire’s Anglo-Indian Connections
9.30 – 10.30 am St Mary de Lode
£12 (includes coffee and pastries)
Over many years an exceptionally strong link developed between parts of Gloucestershire and British India, Cheltenham being dubbed ʻCalcutta in the Cotswolds’. Historian Jim Markland takes a virtual tour around Gloucestershire to discover the evidence.
St Cecilia Singers: My County
11 am – 12.15 pm
St Mary's Church, Painswick
£25, £20
St Cecilia Singers
Derek Harris piano
Jonathan Hope conductor
Holst Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Set 1 15'
Howells The Summer is Coming 8'
David Bednall Some Corner of a Foreign Field 9'
Vaughan Williams Three Shakespeare Songs 7'
Finzi Selection from Seven Partsongs Op. 17 10'
Gurney Come, Sleep 3'
Thomas Hewitt Jones My County 5'
Gloucester’s premier chamber choir present a programme with a very local flavour as they celebrate the work of Gloucestershire composers past and present in the serene surroundings of idyllic Painswick’s parish church.
£9
Coach departs 10 am; returns by approx. 12.45 pm
Supported in memory of Helena Oldacre and John Priday
FamiLy EVEnt Travelling Tales
11.30 am – 12.30 pm St Mary de Crypt £10, £6 children (ideal for ages 7+)
Members of the Dr K. Sextet tell stories from across the globe, narrated by the ensemble and accompanied with vivid music. See p 35 for more details.
SATURDAY
Dr K. Sextet
Last Train to Tomorrow
1.15 – 2.30 pm Cathedral
£20, £15, £12, £10, £5
Three Choirs Children’s Chorus
Gloucestershire Youth Players
Gloucestershire Youth Strings
Nia Llewelyn Jones conductor
Glyn Oxley conductor
Holst St Paul’s Suite 15'
Carl Davis Last Train to Tomorrow 45'
Eighty years to the day since the last Kindertransport left Prague, this poignant piece reimagines the thoughts and feelings of the Jewish children fleeing persecution, the families they left behind, and the open-hearted British people who took them in. This semi-staged performance is the culmination of a term working with children from across Gloucestershire, and welcomes back some of our young performers from Hereford in 2018, plus participants from ‘The Big String’ project run by Gloucester Academy of Music each February.
Supported by Carolyn Pascall and Safran Landing Systems
Dr K Sextet: Storytelling
4 – 6 pm St Mary de Crypt
£17, U26 FREE
Maxwell Davies Dances from the Two Fiddlers 9'
Sadie Harrison Bell Music for St Casimir 3'
Thomas Simaku My Beautiful Morea 5'
Kaija Saariaho Oi Kuu 6'
Howard Skempton The Durham Strike 5'
Jeremy Thurlow Elephant of the Clouds 16'
Thomas Albert movements from Thirteen Ways 10'
Holst Maya; Spring Song; Greeting 10'
Rolf Hind The Horse Sacrifice 20'
Tales drawn from across the globe; stories of struggle, turbulence and migration from dramatic, mythical and fantastical narratives through to the gentlest of lullabies. Storytelling explores a wide variety of sound worlds (from completely tonal to experimental) using the stories behind the music to explore this melding of cultures.
THE MYSTIC TRUMPETER
7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral
£55, £50, £32, £25, £15
Ilona Domnich soprano
Catherine Wyn-Rogers alto
Andrew Staples tenor
David Stout baritone
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
Philharmonia Orchestra
Adrian Partington conductor
David Matthews Stars 5'
Holst The Mystic Trumpeter 19'
Beethoven Symphony No 9 65'
We look heavenward for our final performance, reviving David Matthews shimmering short cantata, Stars for its first performance in almost half a century. Holst’s distinctive musical style begins to emerge in this luxuriant early work, with a list of influences that ranges from Wagner to Walt Whitman, and even encompasses Hindu philosophies. It ends with a serenely celestial expression of ʻJoy! Joy! All over joy! ’ , echoing Beethoven’s epic Choral Symphony, the powerful and uplifting climax of which is known the world over.
Supported by Safran Landing Systems and donors to the Tercentenary Appeal
FAMILIES AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Drama Workshop: Shakespearean Journeys
Sunday 28 July, 10 – 11 am (ages 7 – 12)
11.30 am – 12.30 pm (ages 13 – 16)
Old Bishop’s Palace Garden
£6
A practical exploration of word and movement in Shakespeare's plays. Join director Edward Derbyshire and actors from Gloucestershire Youth Players for these animated and creative workshops designed to explore different journeys made by Shakespeare's characters, using Shakespeare's words and elements of physical theatre. You will need nothing but yourself (parents are invited to join in), comfortable clothing, and a sense of fun.
Please note that these are outdoor workshops which will be relocated in the event of extremely adverse weather conditions
Antara Duo
Sunday 28 July, 2.30 – 3.30 pm
St Mary de Lode
£6, Ideal for ages 5–11
Thomas Hancox flute
Rachel Wick harp
Join the Antara Duo for a lively and engaging introduction to the exciting world of chamber music and the wonderful sounds of the flute and harp through music, games, and questions.
Supported by the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust
Dance! Dance!
Monday 29 July, 11.30 am – 12.15 pm
St Mary de Lode
£5 adults, children FREE (ideal for babies, toddlers and their siblings)
Join Lilliput violin duo Kate Skeet and Kate Fawcett as they entertain with jigs, reels, waltzes and tangos. Tunes from around the globe for tiny toes to tap to!
Tommy Foggo Superhero
Monday 29 July, 2 – 3.15 pm
Gloucester Guildhall
£10, £8 children (ideal for ages 7+)
One day, Tommy Foggo runs away –to the seaside, where he finds Destino, a talking cello with a mission. Will Tommy be big enough to defeat the terrifying Kraken of the Deep and rescue the Queen of Lost Atlantis? A magical multi-media tale of a life saved by music, based on a true story.
Drumming Workshop
Wednesday 31 July, 11.30 am – 12.15 pm
Old Bishop’s Palace Garden
£6 adults, children FREE (ideal for ages 6+)
Let off some steam with this high energy drumming workshop led by Cheltenham College Head of Music David McKee, where you’ll learn some simple Samba and African drumming.
Arts and Crafts Drop-In: A Taste of India
Friday 2 August
Drop in between 11.30 am – 1.30 pm
St Mary de Lode
£5 (ideal for all ages)
Join Lucy Moriarty from the Holst Birthplace Museum for a fun session discovering all about India through crafts, dressing up and a spicy smelling trail!
Travelling Tales
Saturday 3 August, 11.30 am – 12.30 pm
St Mary de Crypt
£10, £6 children (ideal for ages 7+)
Members of the Dr K. Sextet tell stories from across the globe, narrated by the ensemble and accompanied by vivid music. A retelling of the Ramayana with Carnatic violin improvisation, Tom Johnson’s Bedtime Stories for clarinet and narrator, Syrinx (music by Debussy) and The Two Fiddlers (music by Maxwell Davies) take us on a musical adventure.
Tommy Foggo
GET INVOLVED
Whether you’re completely new to the festival or want to get more involved, there are plenty of ways to explore the festival for free.
Festival Firsts
If you’re a first-time festival-goer and live in Gloucestershire, you can apply for a pair of best-available tickets to any concert for free! Please contact our friendly ticket office team for more information and to choose your event.
Cathedral Rehearsals
Want to see what happens in the rehearsal process or just get more familiar with a piece you don't know? Dip into a cathedral rehearsal for free and get a flavour of life behind the scenes at the festival. Full details of times and restrictions will be online at 3choirs.org from the start of July.
CAVATINA Free Tickets
Thanks to the support of the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust, 8–25 year olds can claim free tickets to the following chamber music concerts:
Sunday 28 July, 4 pm
Madeleine Mitchell
Volunteer
There are many great ways to get involved with the festival, and joining our team of volunteers can be an exciting and rewarding way to get behind the scenes. If you’re friendly, self-motivated and enthusiastic, find out more and register your interest at 3choirs.org/volunteer
Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir
If you’re a keen singer aged 14-25, why not join our Youth Choir for a chance to perform Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man and a new piece by Giles Swayne on 30 July? There is no charge to participate, and you can find full details of what to expect and how to apply at 3choirs.org/youth-choir
See p 12
Monday 29 July, 4.15 pm See p 15 Philharmonia Young Musicians
Wednesday 31 July, 11 am See p 20 On Wenlock Edge
Friday 2 August, 11 am See p 27 Mendelssohn’s Octet
Saturday 3 August, 4 pm See p 32
Dr K Sextet: Storytelling
© Ash Mills
TCF Youth Choir © Michael Whitefoot
Since the Three Choirs Festival Society was founded in 1996, membership has been a way to support the festival financially and to strengthen the social bonds between Three Choirs enthusiasts.
In return for their support, members benefit from:
• Priority booking at various levels;
• Our quarterly members’ magazine, Spotlight, which contains articles about music and local history, interviews with musicians and exclusive details of festival activities;
• Special events such as the popular Society Lunch and Outing each year.
Membership starts at £40. Find out more at 3choirs.org/membership or contact the ticket office.
BECOME A MEMBER EXPERIENCE LIVE CLASSICAL MUSIC THROUGH THE MAGIC OF VIRTUAL REALITY
The Philharmonia is bringing its pioneering digital technology to Gloucester city centre! You’ll sit on the stage in the heart of the orchestra and feel the glorious sound surround you. Look out for more details at 3choirs.org from early July.
Roderick Williams Society President
YOUR VISIT
Festival Village
The heart of the festival is in the Festival Village on College Green. Between concerts, wander through our exhibitions on Herbert Howells and organ building, and enjoy al fresco live music offered by local musicians and community groups and daily concerts from the bell tower. Full details will be on our website from early July.
Eating and Drinking
As well as a range of street food and a fully-stocked festival bar, the Friends of Gloucester Three Choirs Festival will serve a selection of homemade cakes and light refreshments daily.
Bar
12 noon – 11.30 pm
Friends’ Café 10 am – 7.30 pm
Street Food 12 noon – 8 pm
Cloister Garth Pimm’s Bar will be open from one hour before the evening concert, and in the interval
Ticket Office, Shop and Information
Open daily from 10 am until the start of the evening performance
The information hub of the festival site, you’ll find the ticket office, information point and shop in Wardle House, just on the edge of the Festival Village. Our friendly staff and volunteers are on hand to offer practical advice and local knowledge and can point you in the right direction. While you’re picking up your tickets, browse a range of books, CDs and other items to take home as a souvenir of the festival.
Designer Crafts Exhibition
Open daily 10 am – 7.30 pm
The Herefordshire, Cotswold and Worcester Guilds of Craftsmen will be exhibiting on Lower College Green. Some of the finest craft artists in the region will be displaying works in ceramics, glass, wood, silver, art and textiles, offering an opportunity to browse and buy a unique piece throughout festival week.
Pre-concert Dining
You can book a two-course sit-down dinner, served in the King’s School Dining Room, before each evening performance. Priced at £24 per person, all menus include a starter, dessert, a glass of wine, and tea or coffee. Special dietary requirements can be catered for, but please inform the ticket office at the time of booking.
© Ash Mills
© Ash Mills
Pre-concert Dinner Menu
Saturday 27 July, 5.30 pm
• Oven-baked salmon with a prawn bisque sauce
• Quorn and red pepper tart with dressed rocket (v)
Sunday 28 July, 6 pm
• Braised beef steak with a red wine and mushroom jus
• Wild mushroom and lentil ragu (v)
Monday 28 July, 6 pm
• Stuffed turkey escalope with tomato and herb sauce
• Butternut and spinach lasagne with garlic bread shard (v)
Tuesday 30 July, 6 pm
• Pan-fried chicken fillet with redcurrant and mint jus
• Sweet potato and coriander cakes topped with poached egg and cheese sauce (v)
Wednesday 31 July, 6 pm
• Rolled pork fillet with apple and sage compote
• Beetroot tarte tatin with wilted spinach (v)
Thursday 1 August, 6 pm
• Salmon and herb fishcakes with dressed herb salad
• Butter bean and spinach fricassee with toasted croutons and herb oil (v)
Friday 2 August, 6 pm
• Cod with crushed pea and mint
• Stuffed flat field mushrooms with goats’ cheese and beetroot (v)
Saturday 3 August, 6 pm
• Butter poached chicken with cream and tarragon sauce
• Cheddar cheese and leek pie topped with puff pastry (v)
© Ash Mills © Ash Mills
Gloucester City
Further Afield
Berkeley
BOOKING INFORMATION
How to book
Online: 3choirs.org
By Phone: 01452 768 928
Monday – Friday, 10 am – 4 pm
In person: from Monday 22 July, Wardle House, College Green GL1 2L r
Monday 22 – 10 am – 4 pm
Thursday 25 July
Friday 26 July 10 am – 6 pm
Saturday 27 July – 10 am until the
Saturday 3 August evening concert start time
Booking Opens
Gold and Life Members
10 am, Monday 8 April
Standard Members
10 am, Monday 15 April
General Booking
10 am, Wednesday 24 April
Booking Fees and Dispatch
A £2.50 booking fee applies to each order, plus 50p for postage (alternatively, you can collect your tickets at the festival or print them at home free of charge).
You should receive tickets sent by post within two weeks of placing your order. Tickets that are held for collection for events in Gloucester Cathedral will remain at the box office, while tickets for non-cathedral events will be available on the door of the venue half an hour before the event.
Book more and save!
If you book 11 or more events in the cathedral in one transaction, you'll get a 10% discount.
Discount applies across all price bands, and free events do not count towards your total.
Accessibility
We welcome all visitors to the festival and we will be happy to help with access requirements wherever possible. A separate fact sheet is available, giving full details of access to all venues.
Please contact the ticket office if you have any access requirements and note that not all seats can be removed for wheelchairs. A very limited number of car parking spaces is available for drivers with a blue badge, which will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
For detailed information, please visit 3choirs.org/your-visit
Festival Firsts
We’d love you to help us share the Three Choirs Festival experience with new people. When you complete your booking, you’ll be invited to donate to our fund which gives local people the chance to attend the festival for the first time. We’d like to suggest the cost of a single seat, but you’re welcome to give whatever you can. Please consider sharing your love of the festival and help grow our audiences.
Souvenir Programme Book
This beautifully-produced publication contains full details of every concert programme alongside song texts, notes, articles and much more – a great memento of your visit. Don’t forget to pre-order your copy to secure a discounted rate of £15 (£17 throughout the festival), and you can opt to receive an electronic preview copy to browse before the festival. You can also pre-order day programmes at a price of £5 (£6 throughout the festival).
Seating Plans
You can view seating plans and select your own seat for all reserved venues by booking online. Please note that zone B seats are likely to have small areas of the stage obscured. Seats in zone C will have a restricted view of the stage. In the cathedral, zones D and E have no view
of the stage, but a TV relay system is in place for those seated in zones C, D and E. No audio enhancement is in place in any part of the cathedral. Please pay attention to the door indicated on your ticket as this will provide the easiest route to your seat.
Transept
Gloucester Cathedral
St Catharine’s Church
Nave
Tiered Seats
Nave
Tiered Seats
Door
Porch
Cirencester Parish Church Tewkesbury Abbey
St Mary ’s Church, Painswick
Minsterworth Church
Nave
South Nave
Nave
Pilpit
South Porch Rear Nave
Sponsors and Supporters
The Three Choirs Festival is grateful to the following organisations and individuals for their generous support:
Corporate
Public Bodies
Three Choirs Festival Friends Organisations
Trusts and Foundations
Individual Supporters
CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust ⋅ D G Albright Trust ⋅ Hawthorne Trust Honourable Company of Gloucestershire Charitable Trust Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust
Robert and Sherill Atkins ⋅ Richard Arenschieldt ⋅ Mr and Mrs David Ball
Elspeth Barkes ⋅ Joanna Brickell ⋅ Peter Cottingham ⋅ Dame Amelia Fawcett
Michael Guittard and Harry Prince ⋅ Richard Hall ⋅ Penny Moore
Katherine O’Carroll ⋅ Carolyn Pascall ⋅ Father Michael Thomas
Pamela White⋅ Jeremy Wilding and Sue Vaughan
In memory of Helena Oldacre and John Priday
Thank you to the Reed Foundation and everyone who donated to the 2018 Big Give Christmas Challenge in support of the Festival Chorus.
Chairman’s Circle
William and Judith Armiger ⋅ Margaret Austen ⋅ Timothy and Elisabeth Brain
Enid Castle ⋅ Richard Hall ⋅ Judith Holroyd ⋅ Michael Hurst
Sir Michael McWilliam ⋅ Mr and Mrs Aidan Rose
There are a number of ways in which you can support the work of Three Choirs Festival. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Genie Dyke: genie.dyke@3choirs.org 01452 768 933
● Verdi Requiem ● Hymnos ● Rachmaninov Vespers ● Tango Stravinsky Bach
● An English Requiem ● Mary’s Hand
Alexander Douglas ● Sanders Society Lunch ● The Glevum Consort
● Israel in Egypt ● Papagena ● Summer Nights ● Lay Clerks in Concert ● A Sea Symphony ● Meditations on the Rig Veda ● The Mystic Trumpeter ● The Damnation of Faust
Luke Jones Recital ● Tewkesbury Abbey Organ Recital
Opening Service ● The Burning Boy
Hugh Macdonald on Berlioz ● Drama Workshop ● Festival Eucharist ● Ivor Gurney ● Society Outing ● Lilliput Duo ● Rodolfus Choir ● Singing for mental health ● Elgar Society Lecture ● The Armed Man ● The Real Bloody Mary ● James MacMillan in Conversation ● On Wenlock Edge ● Drumming Workshop
The Rig Veda ● Vaughan Williams Society Talk
Seven Last Words from the Cross
FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE
Indian Dance Workshop ● Bharatanat yam Showcase ● A Christmas Oratorio ● A History of English Song ● Llanthony Secunda Priory Tour
Indian Classical Music
Society Lunch
Arts and Crafts
Cheltenham College Chapel Organ Recital
● Holst and India ● Mendels sohn’s Octet ● And There Grow Flowers
Roderick Williams ● Anglo- Indian Connections ● St Cecilia Singers ● Travelling Tales ● Antara Duo ● Madeleine Mitchell ● Choral Evensong ● John Scott Whiteley ● Tommy Foggo Superhero ● Philharmo nia Young Musicians Recital ● Choral Evensong ● Much Ado About Nothing ● Joshua Ellicott ● 1919: The Peace that Never Was ● Choral Evensong ● Much Ado About Nothing ● Cirencester Organ Recital ● Choral Evensong ● Garden Party
Last Train to Tomorrow ● Dr K Sextet