Three Choirs Festival 2021 | Booking Brochure by Three Choirs Festival

Welcome

One of the most wonderful powers of the arts is to respond. The great American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein once said that ‘music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable’. The events of the last year very possibly fall into both of those categories, and have sent shockwaves through just about every nation and community on earth. In 2021, after the first year without a Three Choirs Festival since the Second World War, we hope to be able to respond, to give expression to the prevailing national and global sentiment, and with the healing power of music, to start to rebuild.

While the pandemic made a festival in 2020 impossible, it also makes a festival in 2021 difficult to define and plan. As I write, there is still uncertainty about which restrictions will still be in place, and therefore what our 2021 festival will look like. In any case, it is my hope that you will be able to come to a concert, a service, or a talk, and that those events will feel reassuringly familiar. Of course, we will be guided by the advice in force at the time, and are committed to the safety of all our staff, performers, and audience.

You will see in the following pages some echoes of the 2020 festival programme. The themes of journey and exploration seem even more appropriate this year, as we look to the new horizons of a post-pandemic world. Elgar’s The Music Makers also seems eloquently fitting – we are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams. Our Festival Commission by Gabriel Jackson, The World Imagined, is also not to be missed, for which it will be a pleasure to welcome guest conductor David Hill.

2021 is an important year for Worcester, as the city celebrates the 400th anniversary of its Charter. Music with particular Worcester connections can therefore be found threaded through the week as we celebrate this milestone in the life of our ‘faithful city’. One such piece is the Solemn Prelude by Anglo-African composer Samuel ColeridgeTaylor, whose music was extremely popular at the Three Choirs Festival in his time, after a commission was recommended by none other than Edward Elgar. Solemn Prelude had its premiere in Worcester at the Festival in 1899 –the same year as Elgar’s Enigma Variations

With all of this and our exciting series of late-night concerts, daytime performances, and talks, I know you will find plenty to enjoy. I hope to see you at the Three Choirs Festival in Worcester this summer. You are very welcome to join us on our voyage!

Samuel Hudson, 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.

Samuel Hudson © Michael Whitefoot

ABOUT US

Three Choirs Festival

The festival is an annual, week-long celebration of choral and orchestral concerts, recitals, talks, family events, cathedral services, theatre, exhibitions and more, rotating each summer between the beautiful cathedral cities of Gloucester, Worcester and Hereford. Having celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2015, it is the world’s longest-running classical music festival of its kind.

The centrepiece of the festival is a series of spectacular evening concerts in the cathedral, featuring the Three Choirs Festival Chorus or the Cathedral Choirs and the Philharmonia Orchestra (resident at the festival since 2012), alongside world-class soloists. A busy schedule of daytime events is augmented by a growing programme of community and outreach projects, taking place in the run-up to and during the festival. The heart of the activity is in the Festival Village, where you can be sure of a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

Each year, the festival nominates a charity to receive a share of collections taken at the Opening Service. This year, we are partnering with Headway Worcestershire, a local and independent charity supporting people affected by acquired brain injury across Worcestershire. They offer specialist support, information and services to brain injury survivors, their families and carers, as well as to professionals in the health and legal fields.

The Three Choirs Festival is a registered charity, relying on generous support from a range of funders to achieve its aim of sharing music-making opportunities and the finest musical experiences with the widest possible community.

Orchestra in Residence

The Philharmonia Orchestra creates thrilling performances for a global audience.

Founded in 1945, in part as a recording orchestra for the growing home audio market, the Philharmonia has always pioneered the use of technology to reach broader audiences for orchestral music. During the coronavirus pandemic, it has continued to create outstanding performances, experienced online by listeners on five continents.

The orchestra’s home is Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, where it has been Resident Orchestra since 1995. In addition to its annual appearance at the Three Choirs Festival, it is also resident at Bedford Corn Exchange, De Montfort Hall in Leicester, The Marlowe in Canterbury, Anvil Arts in Basingstoke and Garsington Opera. Central to all its residencies is a Learning & Engagement programme that empowers people to engage with, and participate in, orchestral music.

The Philharmonia is a registered charity and relies on income from a range of sources to deliver its programme. It is proud to be generously supported by Arts Council England.

philharmonia.co.uk

Philharmonia © Benjamin Ealovega

We want to say a huge THANK YOU to our supporters, who continue to give so generously, especially after the cancellation of the 2020 festival. Your support has been essential in sustaining the festival through what has been such a challenging year for all.

We wouldn’t be here without you!

This 8-day festival costs £1 million to put on each year, but ticket sales account for just half of our income. Charitable donations enable us to do more than just cover our costs; your support helps us to thrive, and secures the future of the Three Choirs Festival for years to come.

A MAGICAL PLACE

Your support puts musicians on stage. Your support commissions the music of tomorrow.

Your support connects young people with vital opportunities.

Achieving our vision to give expression for every voice through extraordinary music-making requires your help. We cannot do it alone.

Please donate now at: 3choirs.org/donate

If you would like to find out more about the difference your support could make, please get in touch with Grace, our Development Manager, on 01452 768933 or at grace.green@3choirs.org

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FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Bold Adventures

The festival restarts by celebrating the wonder of exploration and travel. From Beethoven’s sea voyage and Vaughan Williams’s wanderer (p11) to Roderick Williams in the role of sixteenth-century conquistador (p17), tales of adventure will guide you through the festival. Gabriel Jackson looks to the heavens in The World Imagined (p15) while St Nicolas’s escapades are recounted by Worcester Cathedral Choir (p35). The epic tale of Odysseus can be found in Armstrong Gibbs’s Choral Symphony (p23) and a modern retelling of the story by Christopher Kent and Gamal Khamis (p22). More nautical fables shape the late-night poetry and music of The Becoming (p34) while Tennyson’s tale of the shipwrecked Enoch Arden is told in Strauss’s evocative setting (p24).

Families can join in the adventure with a series of travel-themed events for all ages. Drift across the Atlantic with your tiny tots or go on a great British holiday with White Socks Theatre Company. Follow the stories of three airborne explorers with the Goldfield Ensemble or enjoy an accidental adventure on a London bus with Gaspard the Fox. For some fun-filled festival events, turn to pages 40 & 41 and map your journey...

Charter 400: Celebrating Worcester

This autumn, Worcester celebrates the 400th anniversary of the 1621 charter, which permitted the city’s first mayor. To mark this occasion, BBC Radio 3 will record the festival's Choral Evensong with Worcester Cathedral Choir, featuring music linked to the cathedral. It will be broadcast on 29 September and again on the weekend of the Charter celebrations in October (p22).

Today’s Voices

Since the festival’s very beginning, each new generation of composers has made their mark on audiences, and this year’s festival celebrates the music of over fifty living composers writing in a wide range of styles.

Alongside this, we celebrate some of the names synonymous with Worcester, including Edward Elgar (pages 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 24 and 32) and Royal Worcester’s Henry Sandon (p17) and examine the origins of Worcestershire’s historic collections (p16). Former cathedral organists and Festival Directors Donald Hunt (p13) and Ivor Atkins (p24) feature, while the music of Thomas Tomkins, Worcester organist at the time of the Charter’s approval, is sung by the Marian Consort (p17) and the Orlando Consort (p21), who have devised a special programme to mark the anniversary.

Our major festival commission is The World Imagined, for tenor, chorus and orchestra by Gabriel Jackson (p15, other works p17 and p25). Families can enjoy the concert premiere of Gaspard’s Foxtrot by Jonathan Dove (p28), and the combined cathedral choirs will sing two new works by John Rutter and one by Cheryl Frances-Hoad, commissioned for Worcester Cathedral Choir by the Elmley Foundation in memory of Sam Driver White (p25).

Other choral premieres include Roderick Williams writing for The Elgar Chorale (p13), Dani Howard for the Marian Consort (p17) and Shiva Feshareki, who will perform on turntables alongside the National Youth Choir of Great Britain (p36). Instrumental premieres include Michael Small’s Prism for violinist Fenella Humphreys (p30), and new works for the ESO by Steve Elcock and Emily Doolittle (p25).

Opening Service

11 am – 12.10 pm Worcester Cathedral

FREE (ticket required)

Worcester Cathedral Choir

Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir

Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Brass Ensemble

Nicholas Freestone organ

Samuel Hudson conductor

Britten Te Deum in C

Ian Venables God be merciful

Paulus The road home

Please note the timed entry instructions sent with your ticket reservation. There will be no admittance after 10.45 am.

Supported by the D G Albright Trust

The Music of Frederick Delius: Style, Form and Ethos

1.15 – 2.15 pm King’s School Theatre £12

The music of Frederick Delius has often been described as ‘formless’ or lacking in the cerebral discipline shown by his contemporaries. Biographer and Professor of Musicology at Durham University Jeremy Dibble challenges this notion by assessing the nature, breadth and development of Delius’s musical style.

White Socks Theatre Company

WHITE SOCKS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

A Minor Excursion

Two performances:

2 – 2.45 pm; 3.30 – 4.15 pm

Henry Sandon Hall

£7, under 5s FREE (ideal for ages 5+)

Bliss Clarinet Quintet

3 – 4.40 pm Worcester Baptist Church

£30, £25, under 25s FREE

Robert Plane clarinet

Marmen Quartet

Schubert Quartettsatz D703 10'

Coleridge-Taylor Clarinet Quintet in F sharp minor, Op. 10 32'

Bliss Clarinet Quintet 27'

The Marmen Quartet, reputed for the vitality and vigour of its performances, opens with the dramatic first movement of Schubert’s unfinished string quartet. Robert Plane then joins the quartet for two clarinet quintets: a sophisticated work by Coleridge-Taylor and Bliss’s expressively melodic work.

£8

A fun-filled, family story-telling performance, based around the great British holiday. A Minor Excursion takes us on a classic family road trip – come along for the sights, sounds and traffic jam games! Join us for songs and poetry in this exciting, interactive performance. SATURDAY

Coach departs 2.25 pm; returns approx. 5.10 pm

Marmen Quartet supported by the Richard Hall Charitable Trust

Marmen Quartet © Marco Borggreve

Shanna Hart Organ Recital

5 – 6.15 pm St Martin’s Church £14

Shanna Hart organ

JS Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 14'

Böhm Chaconne in G 4'

JS Bach Canonic Variations on “Vom Himmel hoch da komm’ ich her”, BWV 769a 3'

Iain Quinn Continuum (“N-O-T-R-E D-A-M-E”) 4'

Alain Variations sur un thème de Clément Jannequin 6'

Vierne Naïades from 24 Pièces de fantaisie 5'

Martin Passacaille 12'

The first recital in our series showcasing talented young performers from the Royal College of Organists spans the centuries from Bach to the present day, demonstrating the full range of this magnificent instrument’s capabilities and colour.

St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.

Coach departs 4.20 pm, returns by approx. 6.40 pm

Supported by Fr Michael Thomas

Choral Evensong

5.30 – 6.15 pm Worcester Cathedral FREE (ticket required)

Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir

Nicholas Freestone organ

Stephen Shellard conductor

King Responses

Dyson Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in D Elgar Give unto the Lord

The Music Makers

7.30 – 9.15 pm Worcester Cathedral

See following page for more information

Fiddlers Three

9.45 – 10.45 pm College Hall £18, under 25s FREE

Join the Musical and Amicable Society for a late-night romp through the seventeenth century. Three violinists compete and combine in a riot of musical colour – twisting and turning through Purcell’s ingenious divisions, Marini’s mischievous special effects, Schmelzer’s outrageous harmonies, and a smattering of folk music.

St Martin’s Church organ Musical and Amicable Society

THE MUSIC MAKERS

7.30 – 9.15 pm Worcester Cathedral

£58, £53, £32, £25, £15

Marta Fontanals-Simmons mezzo-soprano

Tom Mole baritone

Three Choirs Festival Chorus

Philharmonia Orchestra

Samuel Hudson conductor

Copland Fanfare for the Common Man 3'

Beethoven Meeresstille und glückliche

Fahrt 8'

Vaughan Williams Songs of Travel 23'

Elgar The Music Makers 35'

‘We are the music-makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams…’ The festival looks to new horizons in a first half of adventure, beginning with Copland’s heroic fanfare. Afterwards, Elgar’s melancholic and reflective ode to ‘the artist’ takes tunes from his most beloved works to celebrate creativity in all its forms.

Supported by The C-T Trust in celebration of the 900th anniversary of the Lygon Family at Madresfield Court; Songs of Travel supported by The Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust

Marta Fontanals-Simmons © Victoria Cadisch

Festival Eucharist

10.30 am – 12 noon Worcester Cathedral FREE (ticket required)

Worcester Cathedral Choir

Nicholas Freestone organ

Samuel Hudson conductor

Jonathan Dove Missa brevis

Bairstow Let all mortal flesh keep silence

DRAMESTICS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENT

From Age to Age: Father –

Shakespeare

– Son

1 – 3 pm West End Gardens

£12, £6 children

Edward Derbyshire director

It is said that William Shakespeare sheds light upon every human experience; certainly, his poetry evokes the whole gamut of emotions, much like music. Over thirty years, a son and father with a shared love of Shakespeare write to one another about their lives. Over decades, they thread often unspoken emotions through the lines they pen, interweaving monologues from their favourite lyricist. Passages from his most famous works, including Hamlet, Coriolanus, Twelfth

Three Stories about Flying

Night, Macbeth and King Lear, among others, timelessly reflect on this deeply personal, intergenerational journey.

Please note this is an outdoor performance. It will be relocated only in the event of severely adverse weather conditions.

Three Stories about Flying

1.30 – 2.30 pm

Henry Sandon Hall

£10, £7 children, under 5s FREE (ideal for ages 5+)

500 years ago, young Leonardo da Vinci dreams of making a flying machine… 200 years ago, Martha Pocock is launched across the Avon Gorge in a wicker basket attached to a set of kites… and in 2020, young Charley Finn has a soaring imagination taking him into a futuristic world of space travel. Meanwhile, paper birds flit and swoop through the stories and the centuries, linking the lives of the children in curious ways. Written and narrated by Kate Romano, the show is illustrated with shadow puppetry and evocative live chamber music performed by the acclaimed Goldfield Ensemble. Where will your imagination take you?

Now sleeps the crimson petal

2 – 4 pm College Hall

£22

The Elgar Chorale

Kelly McCusker violin

Christopher Allsop piano

Piers Maxim conductor

Holst Two Psalms 12'

Elgar (arr. Hunt) Two Part Songs 6'

Howard Blake Songs of Truth and Glory 10'

Hunt Two Part Songs 6'

Roderick Williams Shout, O ye winds! (premiere) 8'

Sumsion In Exile 7'

Piers Maxim Four Lullabies for the Girls 12'

Elgar From the Bavarian Highlands 24'

This celebratory tribute to the late Donald Hunt, a former Worcester Artistic Director and founder of The Elgar Chorale, encompasses choral works associated with the Chorale and the festival, including the premiere of a new commission by baritone and composer Roderick Williams.

Worcester Wags and Wagers

2.30 – 4.30 pm St Martin’s Church £22, £16

Elgar goes to the races, entertains George Bernard Shaw and Lawrence of Arabia, and composes a football chant for Wolves; Ivor Atkins saves the festival from extinction; two eighteenth-century ladies enjoy festival balls, picnic breakfasts and the finest castrato in Europe, while King George III’s visit gives us a festival coin. Steve Williams with Zeb Soanes (Newsreader, BBC Radio 4), Ben Cooper (BBC1 Bargain Hunt) Sir Roy Strong and other familiar faces present anecdotes and characters from past Worcester festivals, lavishly illustrated with rare pictures and interspersed with music and songs, some not heard for a century.

St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.

Coach departs 1.50 pm; returns by approx. 4.55 pm

Donald Hunt © Worcester News

Choral Evensong

5.30 – 6.15 pm Worcester Cathedral FREE (ticket required)

Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Choir tary } John Wilderspin organ Ed Jones conductor

John Cullen Responses Sumsion Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in G Harris The Call

In conversation with Gabriel Jackson

6 – 7 pm King’s School Theatre

£12

This year’s commissioned composer Gabriel Jackson discusses his career and the inspirations for his new piece, The World Imagined, with Three Choirs Festival CEO Alexis Paterson.

The World Imagined

7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral

See following page for more information

Lay Clerks in Concert

10 – 11 pm College Hall

£18

The lay clerks provide their usual mix of close-harmony classics and unaccompanied choral repertoire in this enduringly popular late-night show.

Gabriel Jackson

THE WORLD IMAGINED

7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral

£55, £50, £32, £25, £15

Nick Pritchard tenor

Three Choirs Festival Chorus

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

David Hill conductor

Jack White Digital Dust 13'

Elgar Enigma Variations 29'

Gabriel Jackson The World Imagined (festival commission, premiere) 45'

This concert will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

The festival presents a significant commission from one of Britain’s leading choral composers, Gabriel Jackson, renowned for his immediacy and delicacy of expression. Drawing inspiration from the beauty of poetry, philosophy, art and life, The World Imagined is an ecstatic contemplation of creation and humankind’s small place in an infinite cosmos. Jack White’s propulsive Digital Dust opens the first half, followed by Elgar’s enduringly popular Enigma Variations, first heard in their current form at the 1899 Worcester Three Choirs Festival.

Gabriel Jackson’s The World Imagined supported by the Three Choirs Festival Commissioning Circle

TALK

The Founders of Worcester Art Gallery and Museum:

Colonialism and Empire

9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre

£12

Many older museums have their beginnings rooted in colonialism, and collections were often formed from wealthy donors who benefitted from empires. Kerry Whitehouse, Curator of the World Cultures collection, reveals recent research on the founders and donors of the Museums Worcestershire collections.

SOCIETY OUTING

Hartlebury Castle

£25 (includes travel and refreshments)

Society members are invited on a bespoke tour of Hartlebury Castle, adapted for COVID-19 restrictions. For centuries the castle was the residence of the Bishops of Worcester, the historical setting for tales of rebellion and countless royal visitors, and Worcestershire’s former political centre.

Please note that the museum will be closed during this tour.

Coach departs 9.30 am; returns by approx. 1 pm

WORCESTER WALKS PRESENTS Elgar’s Footsteps

10 – 11.30 am Meet at the Elgar statue, Worcester High Street

£10

This leisurely walk takes in Elgar’s homes and haunts, visiting places beloved by the composer and his family, including the Glee Club and St George’s Catholic Church.

Please note that this is an outdoor event, which will take place regardless of the weather.

ST MARTIN’S CHURCH PRESENTS Tiny Tunes: Atlantic Drift

10.30 – 11.10 am St Martin’s Church £6 adults, children FREE (ideal for babies, toddlers and their siblings)

The Lilliput violin and viola duo perform a lucky dip of tunes from the British Isles and the Americas – including some which have migrated across the ocean! Come to dance, clap, sway, sing along –or just to listen and be soothed.

St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.

Tiny Tunes

Hartlebury Castle

My Life in Music and Pots

10.30 am – 12 noon

Exhibition Hall, Museum of Royal Worcester

£14

Henry Sandon reflects on his lifelong love of music and pots, his Worcester journey, and singing at the Three Choirs Festival for over 25 years. Join us for this very special reminiscence and enjoy tea, coffee and biscuits on Royal Worcester china in the museum’s beautiful eighteenth-century gallery.

The Great Journey

11.30 am – 1 pm Worcester Cathedral £30, £25, £20, £15

Roderick Williams baritone

Goldfield Ensemble

Adrian Partington conductor

Smyth Chrysilla; La Danse 10'

Gabriel Jackson In the Mendips 16'

Colin Matthews The Great Journey 50'

Roderick Williams is the protagonist in this tale of a Spanish conquistador’s disastrous sixteenth-century expedition. This exquisite portrayal of greed and destruction is told through veiled references to sixteenthcentury styles in a colourful score. Ethel Smyth’s vignettes are tinged with French impressionism, while an instrumental interlude by Gabriel Jackson evokes an afternoon on the Somerset hills.

Supported by the Friends of Worcester Three Choirs Festival

The Marian Consort: Stabat Mater

3 – 4.20 pm College Hall

£25

The Marian Consort

Rory McCleery director

Gabriel Jackson Stabat Mater 18'

Tomkins Then David mourned 4'

Dani Howard new work (premiere) 15'

Scarlatti Stabat Mater 25'

The powerful text of the Stabat Mater has inspired composers for centuries, and this concert contrasts two outstanding examples of heartfelt and poignant settings from the seventeenth century and from the composer of this year’s festival commission, Gabriel Jackson. In between, The Marian Consort perform their newly commissioned work from Dani Howard, whose music has been described as ‘sophisticated and incredibly beautiful’.

Museum of Royal Worcester

The Marian Consort

Philharmonia Young Artists Recital

5 – 6.15 pm Worcester Baptist Church

£20, £15, under 25s FREE

Julia Liang violin

David López Ibáñez violin

Ana Teresa de Braga e Alves viola

Yaroslava Trofymchuk cello

Ravel String Quartet in F 30'

Mozart String Quartet No 15 in D minor

K421 30'

Join current and past participants of the Philharmonia’s MMSF Instrumental Fellowship in this intimate chamber music setting. Ravel’s shimmering, bright union of colour contrasts sharply with Mozart’s darker and discursive quartet (the second of six dedicated to Haydn) in a recital that superbly demonstrates the broad expressive range of the string quartet.

£8

Coach departs 4.15 pm; returns approx. 6.45 pm

Choral Evensong

5.30 – 6.15 pm Worcester Cathedral FREE (ticket required)

Gloucester Cathedral Choir

Jonathan Hope organ

Adrian Partington conductor

King We Beseech Thee, Almighty God Sumsion Responses

King The Gloucester Service

Parsons Ave Maria

Purcellʼs King Arthur

7.30 – 9.40 pm Worcester Cathedral

See following page for more information

Ludwig: Concerto quasi una fantasia

10.15 – 11.15 pm College Hall

£18, under 25s FREE

Composer and director Charlie Barber weaves together fragments of Beethoven’s music recreated for piano and string quartet in the setting of an imagined rehearsal. He invites the audience on an intimate musical journey reflecting on the composer’s influence on the music of today.

Julia Liang

PURCELL'S KING ARTHUR

7.30 – 9.40 pm Worcester Cathedral

£50, £45, £32, £25, £15

Anna Dennis, Mhairi Lawson, Charlotte Shaw sopranos

Jeremy Budd, James Gilchrist tenors

Marcus Farnsworth, Dingle Yandell basses

Gabrieli Consort and Players

Paul McCreesh conductor

Purcell King Arthur 92'

The Gabrieli Consort perform their awardwinning version of one of Purcell’s most lyrical and harmonically adventurous semioperas. Telling the story of King Arthur’s battles with the heathen Saxons and his quest to rescue his blind fiancée, the music teems with magic.

Supported by Mr and Mrs David Ball

Charles Ernest Butler's King Arthur

TALK

Forgotten Histories: Black Musicians of the Nineteenth Century

9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre

£12

Edward Elgar’s music is synonymous with the Three Choirs Festival, but he also introduced promising young composers to festival audiences. One of these, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, described by Booker T. Washington as ‘the foremost musician of his race’, was the first black composer to have his work performed at the festival, in 1898. Dr Paul Ellison examines the lives of two musicians of African descent, beginning with virtuoso violinist George Bridgetower, original dedicatee of Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata.

Storytelling with Gaspard the Fox

10.30 – 11.15 am

The Undercroft £7, under 5s FREE (ideal for children and their families)

Meet Gaspard, a friendly fox with a taste for adventure! Author Zeb Soanes tells the story of the real-life London fox who inspired his books, and reads excerpts accompanied by illustrations and photographs.

Paul Greally Organ Recital

10.30 – 11.45 am St Martin’s Church

£14

Paul Greally organ

Brahms Prelude and Fugue in G minor WoO 10 8'

Schumann IV. “Innig” from Six Studies in Canonic Form, Op. 56 4'

Hindemith Sonata No 1 17'

Rheinberger Sonata No 8 in E minor, Op.132 25'

The second in our series of recitals by young musicians selected by the Royal College of Organists showcases a range of composers well known for their contributions to the organ repertoire.

St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.

£8

Coach departs 9.50 am; returns by approx. 12.10 pm

Supported by Fr Michael Thomas

The Orlando Consort

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Henry V

1.30 – 3.30 pm West End Gardens

£17, £10 children

After a rebellious and spirited youth spent carousing in the taverns of London, Prince Hal takes on the responsibility of Kingship and leads his troops across the Channel to do battle with the French at Agincourt.

Follow the charismatic King in this stirring tale of leadership, bravery, humour and love – exhilarating entertainment for a summer’s day.

Please note this is an outdoor performance. It will be relocated only in the event of severely adverse weather conditions.

Love’s Command: Sacred Poetry

and Music of the Renaissance

1.45 – 3.30 pm College Hall

£25

The Orlando Consort

Desprez Huc me sydereo – Plangent eum; Obone et dulcis Domine Jesus –

Pater noster – Ave Maria

Gombert O flos campi

Ceballos Hortus conclusus

Phinot Ecce tu pulcher es

Anon Musica, quid defles

Desprez La déploration de Johannes Ockeghem: Nymphes des boys

La Rue Absalon fili mi

Tomkins When David heard

Mouton Domine, fac salvum regem

Gascongne Non nobis, Domine

White Lamentations

This sublime programme focuses on the first half of the sixteenth century, during which composers were liberated to produce works of unprecedented richness, setting texts beyond the confines of daily liturgy,

and extending harmonic ranges. Joined by bass Robert Macdonald, the Orlando Consort performs pieces with texts from the Song of Songs, tributes to fellow composers, poems by humanist scholars, and, marking the Worcester Charter’s 400th anniversary, renowned Worcester Cathedral organist Thomas Tomkins’s most famous work. The concert also marks the 500th anniversary of Josquin Desprez’s death and concludes with Robert White’s setting of the beautiful Lamentations of Jeremiah.

Beet(Who)ven?

2.30 – 3.30 pm

St Martin’s Church

£7, under 5s FREE (ideal for children and adults of all ages)

Who was Beethoven? In this whistle-stop musical tour, violinist Krysia Osostowicz and pianist Daniel Tong reveal the story of Beethoven’s life, from his favourite food to his increasing deafness, and talk about the influence he has had on composers of today. Why does he remind one composer of Tom and Jerry? And why does another think Beethoven had the blues? Discover all this and more in this relaxed event.

St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.

Was Shakespeare’s Henry V a War Criminal?

4 – 5 pm King’s School Boathouse

£14 (includes refreshments)

Following today’s performance of Henry V, Peter Atkinson, the Dean of Worcester, examines the development of the doctrine of the Just War and asks whether Henry V was, by the standards of Shakespeare’s own time, guilty of war crimes. There will also be refreshments hosted by our Worcester Friends.

TUESDAY

Beethoven Reflected

4.15 – 6.20 pm St Martin’s Church £25, £20, under 25s FREE

Krysia Osostowicz violin

Daniel Tong piano

Judith Bingham The Neglected Child 4'

Beethoven Sonata No 4 in A minor, Op. 23 22'

Huw Watkins Spring 5'

Beethoven Sonata No 5 in F, Op. 24 ‘Spring’ 24'

Beethoven Sonata No 9 in A, Op.47 ‘Kreutzer’ 35'

Matthew Taylor Tarantella Furiosa 6'

A programme selected from pianist Daniel Tong and violinist Krysia Osostowicz’s acclaimed Beethoven Plus project presents new companion pieces to Beethoven’s violin sonatas. These pieces create conversations between Beethoven and living composers and shed fresh light on what Beethoven’s music means to us today.

St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.

£8

Coach departs 3.35 pm; returns by approx. 6.45 pm

Choral Evensong

5.30 – 6.30 pm

Worcester Cathedral FREE (ticket required)

Worcester Cathedral Choir

Nicholas Freestone organ

Samuel Hudson conductor

Aston Alleluya psallat

Hunt Responses

Atkins Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in A and D

Bullock Christ, the fair glory of the Holy Angels

This service will be recorded for broadcast on 29 September on BBC Radio 3. Please be seated by 5.15 pm.

Armstrong Gibbsʼs Choral Symphony

7.45 – 9.55 pm Worcester Cathedral

See following page for more information

Odyssey – Words and Music of Finding Home

10.15 – 11.30 pm College Hall

£18

Christopher Kent actor

Gamal Khamis piano

C Schumann Scherzo No 2, Op. 17

Debussy Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest from Préludes Book I

George Stevenson Flashbacks

Amy Bryce Freehand

Daniel Kidane Air for a Journey

Shostakovich Prelude Op. 87, No 14

JS Bach Adagio BWV 974

Thomas Adès (arr. Gamal Khamis) O Albion from Arcadiana

Homer’s narrative is retold in an absorbing and moving production, tracing Odysseus’s journey and the aftermath of war, exploring themes of diaspora and migration.

Commissioned works by award-winning poets and composers are set alongside Emily Wilson's acclaimed new translation of Homer's epic, as well as works by Shakespeare, JS Bach, Debussy, Clara Schumann and others.

Christopher Kent and Gamal Khamis

ARMSTRONG GIBBS'S CHORAL SYMPHONY

7.45 – 9.55 pm Worcester Cathedral

£55, £50, £32, £25, £15

Ruby Hughes soprano

Njabulo Madlala baritone

Three Choirs Festival Chorus

Philharmonia Orchestra

Adrian Partington conductor

Coleridge-Taylor Solemn Prelude (2nd performance) 15'

Copland Appalachian Spring 23'

Gibbs Symphony No 2 ‘Odysseus’ 60'

Gibbs’s tuneful and evocative choral symphony, which he considered his best, is a rarely-heard masterpiece that tells the well-known story of Odysseus in a style that will be familiar to fans of Vaughan Williams and Parry. In the first half, we hear a revival of a work by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, following its Worcester premiere in 1899, and Copland’s evocative homage to nineteenth-century American pioneers.

Supported by the Wigornia Circle and the American Friends of the Three Choirs Festival

This concert is dedicated to the memory of Carolyn Pascall

TUESDAY

Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse

THE WULSTAN ATKINS LECTURE

Sir Ivor Atkins: Worcester and Beyond

9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre

£12

Choral conductor and organist Simon Lindley presents an evaluation of Atkins’s achievements as musician, composer, scholar and editor, and his role in reviving the festival after the First World War.

Presented in association with the Church Music Society

Supported by Katharine O’Carroll and Robert and Sherill Atkins

WORCESTER WALKS PRESENTS Elgar’s Footsteps

10 – 11.30 am Meet at the Elgar statue, Worcester High Street

£10

This leisurely walk takes in Edward Elgar’s homes and haunts, visiting places beloved by the composer and his family, including the Glee Club and St George’s Catholic Church.

Please note that this is an outdoor event, which will take place regardless of the weather.

THE ELGAR SOCIETY PRESENTS The Elgar-Atkins Partnership in Worcester

11 am – 12.15 pm

RGS Godfrey Brown Theatre

£12

Adrian Lucas, one of Sir Ivor Atkins’s distinguished successors at Worcester Cathedral, explores the interaction and friendship between two musicians of powerful individuality and sensibility.

£8

Coach departs 10.15 am; returns by approx. 12.45 pm

Enoch Arden

11.30 am – 12.40 pm College Hall

£22

Christopher Kent actor Gamal Khamis piano

Strauss Enoch Arden 60'

Written by Tennyson in 1864 and set by Richard Strauss for speaker and piano, Enoch Arden is a deeply touching, epic narrative poem. With hauntingly beautiful words and music, this is a rare opportunity to hear a hidden Romantic gem from the almost forgotten genre of musical melodrama.

Enoch Arden

Henry V

1.30 – 3.30 pm West End Gardens

£17, £10 children

After a rebellious and spirited youth spent carousing in the taverns of London, Prince Hal takes on the responsibility of kingship and leads his troops across the Channel to do battle with the French at Agincourt. Follow the charismatic king in this stirring tale of leadership, bravery, humour and love – exhilarating entertainment for a summer’s day.

Please note this is an outdoor performance. It will be relocated only in the event of severely adverse weather conditions.

English Symphony Orchestra: New Notes

2 – 3.15 pm Kidderminster Town Hall

£30, £25

English Symphony Orchestra

Kenneth Woods conductor

Emily Doolittle Woodwings (premiere) 11'

Steve Elcock Symphony No 8 (premiere) 20'

Beethoven Symphony No 7 35'

Beethoven’s visionary seventh symphony is the sprightly conclusion to this concert featuring the English Symphony Orchestra’s latest premiere in a commissioning cycle championing today’s most exciting symphonists. Steve Elcock’s music is characterised by vivid orchestrations and a sweeping emotional range rooted in symphonic tradition, and yet entirely distinctive.

£10

Coach departs 12.50 pm; returns by approx. 4.10 pm

Choral Evensong

3.30 – 4.30 pm Worcester Cathedral

FREE (ticket required)

Three Cathedral Choirs

Nicholas Freestone organ

Samuel Hudson conductor

Cheryl Frances-Hoad Earth puts her colours by (premiere)

Gabriel Jackson Responses

Howells St Paul’s Service

John Rutter A Pilgrims’ Prayer (festival commission, premiere)

John Rutter Lead, kindly Light (premiere)

This service will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Please be seated by 3.15 pm.

Troubled Times: Beethoven, Wordsworth and the French Revolution

4.30 – 6.30 pm College Hall

£25, under 25s FREE

Zeb Soanes reader

The Jupiter Ensemble

David Owen Norris director/pianoforte

Beethoven (arr. Moscheles) Egmont Overture, Op. 84

Beethoven (arr. Hummel) Symphony No 3 in E flat ‘Eroica’

Revolutionary poetry from a man who was actually in Paris in 1789, and revolutionary music from a composer who wished he had been. Discover how these two disappointed revolutionaries, both born in 1770, illuminate each other through their art.

Fighting at the Hotel de Ville by Jean Victor Schnetz

Duruflé Requiem

7.30 – 9.15 pm Worcester Cathedral

See following page for more information

Fair Oriana: Silver Baroque

9.45 – 10.45 pm College Hall

£18, under 25s FREE

Angela Hicks soprano

Penelope Appleyard soprano

Jonatan Bougt theorbo

Harry Buckoke viola da gamba

David Wright harpsichord

Inspired by the description of their sound as ‘silvery’, Fair Oriana’s Silver Baroque programme is an exploration of music on nocturnal themes, spanning opera, oratorio, church and theatre music, with surprise twists along the way. The programme includes works by Handel, Purcell, Monteverdi and a new commission by Owain Park.

Fair Oriana

DURUFLÉ REQUIEM

7.30 – 9.15 pm Worcester Cathedral

£50, £45, £32, £25, £15

Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir

Philharmonia Orchestra

Geraint Bowen conductor

Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine 7'

G Williams Sea Sketches 21'

Duruflé Requiem 41'

Two beautiful and enduringly popular works of the French repertoire frame this evening’s concert. We begin with Fauré’s miniature but sublime Cantique de Jean Racine, followed by Grace Williams’s vivacious suite for string orchestra, depicting the characteristics of the sea and the composer’s longing for it. Duruflé’s most substantial work, his setting of the Requiem Mass, evokes meditative images of rest and peace.

Supported by The Elmley Foundation and Fr Michael Thomas; Geraint Bowen supported by Pamela White

2017 Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir © Michael Whitefoot

TALK

Seeing and Hearing

9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre

£12

What can music teach us that images cannot? Delius, Vierne and Bach – all composers featured in this festival –struggled with loss of vision. Jeremy Begbie explores how this affected their work, and what we can learn about the distinctive powers of hearing over seeing.

Fluttery Strings: Swans, Squirrels and Rainbows

10.30 – 11.15 am The Undercroft

£6, under 5s FREE (ideal for all ages)

The Topaz Duo presents a programme of well-known favourites, performed on flute and harp, from Swan Lake to Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

CELEBRITY ORGAN RECITAL

David Briggs

11 am – 12.15 pm Worcester Cathedral

£22

David Briggs organ

David Briggs Variations on ‘Take the A Train’ (UK premiere) 19'

Vaughan Williams (arr. David Briggs)

Symphony No 5 in D 45'

World-renowned concert organist

David Briggs gives the UK premiere of his recent variations marking the anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, followed by his own arrangement of one of Vaughan Williams’s most sophisticated and best-loved symphonies.

Gaspard’s Foxtrot

1 – 2 pm Rogers Theatre, Malvern College

£18, £7 children (ideal for all ages)

James Mayhew illustrator

Zeb Soanes narrator

Philharmonia Orchestra

Holly Mathieson conductor

Prokofiev (arr. David Matthews)

Peter and the Wolf 25'

Jonathan Dove Gaspard’s Foxtrot (premiere) 25'

This concert premiere brings to life Gaspard the Fox’s latest adventure! An accidental bus journey through London leads this friendly fox to his very first classical music concert and sees him become the star of the show. Narrated by the book’s author, Zeb Soanes, and illustrated live via digital link by artist James Mayhew, this will be a wonderfully entertaining introduction to a live orchestra, and a special immersive musical experience for those who are already hooked!

Join in with fun fox-themed arts and crafts in the foyer of the theatre from 12 noon.

£10

Coach departs 12 noon; returns by approx. 2.45 pm

Supported by Malvern Hills District Council

3 – 3.30 pm

Rogers Theatre, Malvern College

£10, £7 children (ideal for all ages)

The second performance will feature Gaspard’s Foxtrot only, and is recommended for anyone who would benefit from a more informal environment. Please contact the ticket office for more information.

Clair de Lune: Louis Vierne and

the Turn of the Century

1.45 – 3.45 pm St Martin’s Church

£25, £20

Erika Mädi Jones soprano Panaretos Kyriatzidis piano

Fauré Clair de lune 3'

White So we’ll go no more a-roving 5'

Elgar The wind at dawn 3'

R Strauss Die Nacht; Heimliche Aufforderung 6'

Grieg Ein Traum 2'

Vierne Clair de lune from Suite Bourguignonne; L’heure du berger 6'

Woodforde-Finden Till I wake 3'

A Mahler Die stille Stadt 3'

R Strauss Wiegenlied 10'

Debussy Clair de lune from Suite Bergamasque 5'

Bridge Adoration 3'

Berg Die Nachtigall from 7 early songs 2'

L Boulanger Reflets 3'

Poldowski Mandoline; L’heure exquise 5'

Vierne VII. Dans la nuit, IX. La suprême appel from 12 preludes, op. 36 7'

N Boulanger Soir d’hiver 4'

Dubois Spleen 3'

Bridge Come to me in my dreams 4'

Vierne V. A une femme, II. Un grand sommeil noir, X. Marine from Spleens et détresses 8'

While Vierne’s organ music is widely celebrated and regularly performed, his extensive catalogue of songs is far less commonly heard. Incorporating texts from renowned poets such as Verlaine, Byron, Keats and Hugo, this recital explores fin de siècle song settings by Vierne’s students, colleagues and fellow organists, including rarely heard turn-of-the-century composers such as Amy Woodforde-Finden and Maude Valérie White.

St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.

Coach departs 1.05 pm; returns by approx. 4.15 pm

THE FRIENDS OF WORCESTER

CATHEDRAL

PRESENT

Tea and Talk with David Briggs

3 – 4.45 pm St Andrew’s Methodist Church

£20

Following his cathedral organ recital, David Briggs examines the life of an international concert organist, discussing his busy touring schedule and exploring his interest in transcription and improvisation. The Friends of Worcester Cathedral will provide a delicious tea of sandwiches, scones and cakes.

THURSDAY

£8

Choral Evensong

5.30 – 6.15 pm Worcester Cathedral FREE (ticket required)

Girl Choristers of Worcester and Gloucester Cathedrals

Worcester Lay Clerks

Ed Jones organ

Nicholas Freestone conductor

Clucas Responses

Walton Chichester Service

Britten Rejoice in the Lamb

Bach Magnificat

7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral

See following page for more information

THURSDAY

Fenella Humphreys: Caprices

10 – 11 pm College Hall £18

Violinist Fenella Humphreys celebrates some of the most demanding and virtuosic solo works ever written. The unaccompanied programme will take you on a whirlwind journey from celebrated violinist-composer

Niccolò Paganini through to new music written especially for Fenella, taking in Piazzolla, Kreisler, and Panufnik along the way.

Fenella Humphreys © Alejandro Tamagno

BACH MAGNIFICAT

7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral

£50, £45, £32, £25, £15

Angela Hicks soprano

Penelope Appleyard soprano

Sarah Denbee alto

Greg Tassell tenor

Alex Ashworth bass

Three Cathedral Choirs

The Musical and Amicable Society

Geraint Bowen conductor

Buxtehude Membra Jesu nostri 55'

JS Bach Magnificat 29'

Bach’s exuberant and dramatic Magnificat is one of his most popular compositions, and the perfect piece in which to hear our three cathedral choirs at their majestic best, alongside historically authentic accompaniment, while the gentle beauty of Buxtehude’s Lenten work allows them to demonstrate a quieter intensity.

We gratefully acknowledge the Three Choirs Festival Patrons and supporters of the Tercentenary Appeal

Ash Mills

TALK

Adventures in the Archives

9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre

£12

British music specialist Dr Jonathan Clinch talks about the art of reconstructing forgotten scores and the issues surrounding the completion of unfinished works, particularly his work on Herbert Howells’s Cello Concerto.

WORCESTER WALKS PRESENTS

Elgar’s Footsteps

10 – 11.30 am Meet at the Elgar statue, Worcester High Street

£10

This leisurely walk takes in Elgar’s homes and haunts, visiting places beloved by the composer and his family, including the Glee Club and St George’s Catholic Church.

Please note that this is an outdoor event, which will take place regardless of the weather.

Nicholson & Co. Workshop Visit

Two tour times available

£20 (includes travel and refreshments)

A tour of the Nicholson workshop, taking in current works-in-progress, including a new organ for Radley College near Oxford and the restoration of the 1889 Walker organ of St Mary’s, Portsea. The visit will also include a talk by historian Dr Jim Berrow on the firm’s founder John Nicholson.

Coach for the first tour departs 9 am; returns by approx. 1.30 pm. Coach for the second tour departs 1 pm; returns by approx. 5.30 pm.

Please note there is no car parking available at the workshop.

Edward Elgar

National Youth String Orchestra

Matthew Schellhorn: Howells’s Piano Music

11 am – 12.30 pm College Hall

£25

Matthew Schellhorn piano

Howells To a Wild Flower 3'

Howells Melody 3'

Howells Meadow-Rest and Near Midnight from Summer Idylls 10'

Howells Harlequin Dreaming (premiere) 4'

Howells Once Upon a Time 10'

Howells Phantasy (premiere) 5'

Martin Bussey new work (premiere) 6'

Howells Finzi: His Rest 5'

Howells Siciliana 4'

Howells Comme le cerf soupire… 6'

Howells Petrus Suite (premiere) 18'

Herbert Howells’s distinctly unique talent for combining a smooth, lyrical melodic line with vivid harmony has only rarely been heard in the medium of piano music. This programme, packed with posthumous premieres, presents undiscovered gems showing the composer’s genius in a new light, and includes a commission from Martin Bussey, paying tribute to Howells.

National Youth String Orchestra

1.30 – 3.30 pm Worcester Cathedral £30, £25, £20, £12

National Youth String Orchestra

Damian Iorio conductor

JS Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major, BWV 1048 12'

Howells Concerto for String Orchestra 25'

Schnittke Moz-Art à la Haydn 13'

Kalinnikov Serenade 12'

Rossini (arr. Damian Iorio) William Tell Overture 12'

Bach’s familiar Brandenburg and Howells’s emotionally charged Concerto, written shortly after the deaths of his hero Edward Elgar and his nine-year old son, open this programme showcasing the NYSO’s talent and impressive versatility. In the second half we hear a gently elegiac waltz, a dramatic adventure in the Swiss Alps, and a musical joke.

Supported by Michael Guittard and Harry Prince

Matthew Schellhorn

Daniel Mathieson Organ Recital

2.30 – 3.45 pm St Martin’s Church

£14

Daniel Mathieson organ

Harwood Sonata No. 1 in C sharp minor 18'

Bridge Three Pieces for Organ 12'

Reubke Sonate: Der 94ste Psalm 25'

The third and final recital in our series presented by the Royal College of Organists comprises two contrasting examples of nineteenth-century symphonic organ writing, with three lyrical miniatures in between.

St Martin's CaféBar will be open, if restrictions allow. Visit 3choirs.org for opening times.

£8

Coach departs 1.50 pm; returns by approx. 4.10 pm

Supported by Fr Michael Thomas

James Gilchrist: Sixteenth-Century Love Songs

4 – 6 pm Worcester Baptist Church

£30, £25, under 25s FREE

James Gilchrist tenor

The Linarol Consort of Viols

A concert of enchanting sixteenth-century song, performed by one of its leading exponents and authentically accompanied on copies of the earliest surviving viol. Love in all its various forms (unrequited, romantic and lascivious mischief) is explored in songs by leading musical figures working in Maximilian’s court: Heinrich Isaac, Paul Hofhaimer and Ludwig Senfl, one of the most prolific composers of German song and secular music of the period.

£8

Coach departs 3.15 pm; returns by approx. 6.30 pm

Evening Prayer will be said today at 5.30 pm in the Cathedral Crypt

Giving Voice to my Music

6 – 7 pm King’s School Theatre

£12

Conductor and composer manager David Wordsworth has worked with some of the world’s best-loved choral composers, including Gabriel Jackson, Judith Bingham, Jonathan Dove and Cheryl Frances-Hoad, among many others. Joined by world-renowned composer and conductor John Rutter, David introduces his new book, Giving Voice to my Music, in which he interviews the extraordinary people he has worked with over the years.

Festival offer: Copies of the book can be purchased in advance at a special pre-order only price of £20 (RRP £25).

Brittenʼs Saint Nicolas

7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral

See following page for more information

The Becoming

10 – 11 pm College Hall

£18

An innovative musical experience combining poetry and song, written and performed by Nicola Harrison with jazz improvisation by Martin Pickett and Keith Fairbairn, depicting the sea in all its guises. Sea creatures and other evocative characters populate this exquisite oceanic journey. Expect beguiling shore maidens, ocean-bound sirens, amorous selkies and pirates galore.

BRITTEN’S SAINT NICOLAS

7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral

£50, £45, £32, £25, £15

Joshua Ellicott tenor

Worcester Cathedral Choir

Philharmonia Orchestra

Samuel Hudson conductor

Dobrinka Tabakova Centuries of Meditations 20'

John Rutter Visions 20'

Britten Saint Nicolas 50'

Britten’s mystical and exciting cantata depicts the miraculous life of St Nicolas in vivid detail, portraying terrifying storms, Nicolas’s marvellous deeds and his pious followers, in the composer’s typically vivid style. Dobrinka Tabakova’s beautiful and reflective Centuries of Meditations, originally commissioned for the Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir, opens the programme, followed by John Rutter’s reverie on heavenly peace, Visions.

Joshua Ellicott supported by Joanna Brickell

An Orthodox Byzantine icon of St Nicholas

SATURDAY TALK

The Restoration of Manchester's Cavaillé-Coll

9.30 – 10.30 am King’s School Theatre

£12

The Grade 1-listed Manchester Town Hall and its historic Cavaillé-Coll organ are currently undergoing an exciting £330 million restoration. Managing director of Malvern organ builders

Nicholson & Co., Andrew Caskie, describes this unusual landmark project.

National Youth Choir of Great Britain

11 am – 12.30 pm Worcester Cathedral

£30, £25, £20, £15, £10

National Youth Choir of Great Britain

Ben Parry conductor

Desprez Salve Regina a 5 8'

Fayrfax O lux beata trinitas 4'

Monte Super flumina Babylonis a 8 6'

Sweelinck O Domine Jesu Christe 7'

Praetorius Jubilate Domino a 9 3'

Poulenc Chansons Françaises 20'

Joanna Marsh Thou hast searched me out 3'

Kaija Saariaho Tag Des Jahrs 15'

Shiva Feshareki new work (premiere) 15'

The UK’s leading choir for outstanding singers aged 18-25 returns to the festival with a programme spanning centuries of choral works, from beautiful Renaissance polyphony to groundbreaking music of the twentieth century. Drawing inspiration from NYCGB’s 2021 theme of cultural identity, the concert marks the anniversaries of Desprez, Praetorius and Sweelinck, and showcases works by Joanna Marsh and Kaija Saariaho. The concert culminates in a spellbinding new commission and world premiere by British-Iranian turntable artist and experimental composer Shiva Feshareki.

Society Lunch

1.15 – 3 pm King’s School Boathouse £30 (includes a glass of wine and tea/ coffee)

Enjoy an exclusive two-course lunch with fellow Society members, followed by an address by special guest Ben Parry, director of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain.

The Society AGM will take place in the King’s School Boathouse on Sunday 25 July at 12.15 pm

National Youth Choir Of Great Britain

Camarilla Ensemble

3 – 4 pm Henry Sandon Hall

£7, under 5s FREE (ideal for ages 5+)

Join the Camarilla Ensemble for an engaging and interactive introduction to the instruments of the wind quintet and the wonderful world of chamber music. Supported by the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust

Joby Burgess Percussion Collective

3.15 – 4.30 pm Worcester Baptist Church £20, £15, under 25s FREE

Eric Whitacre Lux Aurumque 4'

Steve Reich Music for pieces of wood 12'

Eric Whitacre October 8'

Linda Buckley Discordia 12'

Eric Whitacre A Boy and A Girl 4'

John Luther Adams Qilyuan 16'

Eric Whitacre Sleep 6'

Percussionist Joby Burgess brings together a quartet of players for his own mesmerising new arrangements of some of Eric Whitacre’s most beautiful music, alongside Reich, Buckley and Adams. Dominated by the soothing tones of marimbas and aluminium harp, this concert will be an oasis of calm in a busy festival week.

£8

Coach departs 2.30 pm; returns by approx. 5 pm

TALK

Singing the Lord’s song in a strange land

5 – 6.15 pm King’s School Theatre

£12

Broadcaster and music critic Michael White maps William Walton’s rise to fame from relatively humble origins in Oldham via some extraordinary characters who supported his career as a composer. Linking to tonight’s concert, his talk makes a case for Belshazzar’s Feast to be considered as Walton’s most indulgent work.

Choral Evensong

5.30 – 6.15 pm Worcester Cathedral FREE (ticket required)

Hereford Cathedral Choir

Peter Dyke organ Geraint Bowen conductor

Lloyd View me, Lord Philip Moore Responses (set III) Leighton Second Service

White Christe qui lux es et dies (IV)

BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST

7.30 – 9.30 pm Worcester Cathedral

£58, £53, £32, £25, £15

Božidar Smiljanić baritone

Guy Johnston cello

Three Choirs Festival Chorus

Philharmonia Orchestra

Samuel Hudson conductor

Ireland The Forgotten Rite 10'

Howells Cello Concerto 23'

Walton Belshazzar’s Feast 36'

The festival closes with Walton’s raucous and richly harmonic cantata. Considered one of his best works, the flamboyantly cacophonous piece depicts the downfall of Babylon.

Howells’s deeply personal Cello Concerto was left unfinished, but Jonathan Clinch’s completion for soloist Guy Johnston has been enthusiastically received, bringing some of the composer’s best orchestral music to the stage.

Supported by The Perry Family Charitable Trust

Rembrandt’s Belshazzar’s Feast

A Sung Eucharist will take place today at 10.30 am

Evening Prayer will be said today at 4 pm in the Cathedral Crypt

GABRIELI ROAR: RE-CREATION

5.45 – 8 pm Worcester Cathedral

£30, £25, £20, £15, £10

Mary Bevan soprano

Robert Murray tenor

Neal Davies bass

Gabrieli Roar

Gabrieli Consort and Players

Paul McCreesh conductor

Haydn The Creation 110'

Re-Creation is an ambitious, collaborative performance of Haydn’s The Creation, bringing together world-class musicians and young singers from around the country. The project is the culmination of Gabrieli Roar’s advanced training programme, involving a network of diverse British youth choirs, and reaching more than 1,000 teenagers across the UK. Led by Artistic Director, Paul McCreesh, this performance presents his own English translation of the libretto. This is an opportunity to revel in the majesty of Haydn’s magnificent massed choral work in a concert experience like no other.

FAMILIES AND YOUNG PEOPLE

WHITE SOCKS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

A Minor Excursion

Saturday 24 July

Two performances:

2 – 2.45 pm; 3.30 – 4.15 pm

Henry Sandon Hall

£7, under 5s FREE (ideal for ages 5+)

Three Stories about Flying

Sunday 25 July

1.30 – 2.30 pm

Henry Sandon Hall

£10, £7 children, under 5s FREE (ideal for ages 5+)

500 years ago, young Leonardo da Vinci dreams of making a flying machine… 200 years ago, Martha Pocock is launched across the Avon Gorge in a wicker basket attached to a set of kites… and in 2020, young Charley Finn has a soaring imagination taking him into a futuristic world of space travel. Written and narrated by Kate Romano, the show is illustrated with shadow puppetry and evocative live chamber music performed by the acclaimed Goldfield Ensemble. Where will your imagination take you?

ST MARTIN’S CHURCH PRESENTS Tiny Tunes: Atlantic Drift

Monday 26 July

10.30 – 11.10 am St Martin’s Church

£6 adults, children FREE (ideal for babies, toddlers and their siblings)

The Lilliput violin duo perform a lucky dip of tunes from the British Isles and the Americas – including some which have migrated across the ocean! Come to dance, clap, sway, sing along – or just to listen and be soothed.

Storytelling with Gaspard the Fox

Tuesday 27 July

10.30 – 11.15 am

The Undercroft £7, under 5s FREE (ideal for children and their families)

MULTIBUY OFFER BOOK THREE OR MORE FAMILY EVENTS AND GET 20% OFF YOUR TICKETS

Beet(Who)ven?

Tuesday 27 July

2.30 – 3.30 pm

St Martin’s Church

£7, under 5s FREE (ideal for children and adults of all ages)

Fluttery Strings: Swans, Squirrels and Rainbows

Thursday 29 July

10.30 – 11.15 am The Undercroft

£6, under 5s FREE (ideal for all ages)

The Topaz Duo presents a programme of well-known favourites, performed on flute and harp, from Swan Lake to Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Gaspard’s Foxtrot

Thursday 29 July

1 – 2 pm Rogers Theatre, Malvern College

£18, £7 children (ideal for all ages)

James Mayhew illustrator

Zeb Soanes narrator Philharmonia Orchestra

Holly Mathieson conductor

Prokofiev (arr. David Matthews)

Peter and the Wolf 25'

Jonathan Dove Gaspard’s Foxtrot (premiere) 25'

Join in with fun fox-themed arts and crafts in the foyer of the theatre from 12 noon.

£10

Coach departs 12 noon; returns by approx. 2.45 pm

Supported by Malvern Hills District Council

3 – 3.30 pm

Rogers Theatre, Malvern College

£10, £7 children (ideal for all ages)

The second performance will feature Gaspard’s Foxtrot only, and is recommended for anyone who would benefit from a more informal environment. Please contact the ticket office for more information.

Camarilla Ensemble

Saturday 31 July

3 – 4 pm Henry Sandon Hall

£7, under 5s FREE (ideal for ages 5+)

Join the Camarilla Ensemble for an engaging and interactive introduction to the instruments of the wind quintet and the wonderful world of chamber music.

Supported by the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust

Gaspard’s Foxtrot: A Musical Adventure

When Gaspard’s neighbour loses her scarf, it leads the friendly fox on an unforgettable musical adventure! This spirited and light-hearted event for children is based on the third book in the best-selling Gaspard the Fox series, narrated by the books’ author Zeb Soanes. The tale is accompanied by specially composed live music by Jonathan Dove (performed by the stunning Philharmonia Orchestra), while the quirky cast of characters is brought to life before your eyes by James Mayhew’s live illustrations.

This wonderfully entertaining and immersive musical experience is the perfect introduction to live classical music for primary school-age children.

Thursday 29 July, 1 pm and 3 pm, Rogers Theatre, Malvern College Tickets from £7, see p28 for more details

Join in with fun fox-themed arts and crafts in the foyer of the theatre from 12 noon!

Calling schools and teachers!

Join us for Gaspard Week! We are offering all primary schools in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire a week of free music, art, and literacy activities and resources this summer, from 28 June to 2 July. There will be a special virtual story time with Gaspard’s creator, Zeb Soanes and an exciting live online art workshop with illustrator James Mayhew, plus much more!

Contact Lucy Wilcox (lucy.wilcox@3choirs.org) for more information.

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 from a different perspective...

Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir

There’s no better way to get closer to the action than standing on our stage! If you’re a keen singer aged 14-25, why not join our Youth Choir for a chance to perform with the world-renowned Philharmonia Orchestra in Worcester Cathedral on Wednesday 28 July? There is no charge to participate, and the time commitment is around five days, with rehearsals beginning on Thursday 22 July. You can find full details of what to expect and how to apply at 3choirs.org/youth-choir

Community Bandstand

Restrictions permitting, we hope to have a bandstand in the festival village again this year. Are you or do you know a Worcestershire performer? We are searching for local groups and performers to play on the community bandstand during the festival week. Whether you are a musician, dancer, spoken-word artist or something else entirely, get in touch with Lucy Wilcox (lucy.wilcox@3choirs.org) for more information.

Volunteer

This year, volunteers are more integral than ever to the safe running of the festival. By joining us behind the scenes as a volunteer, you will take on a variety of exciting roles that can fit around your schedule. If you're friendly, self-motivated and enthusiastic, find out more and register your interest at 3choirs.org/volunteer

YOUR VISIT

Festival Village

The heart of the festival is always the Festival Village on College Green. At the time of writing we are awaiting further government guidelines, so this year’s Festival Village may look a little different to normal. However, we will still be serving up a warm welcome and a festival atmosphere for you, in whichever ways we are able to do so!

Full information about the Festival Village and how we are making the festival COVID-19 safe will be available at 3choirs.org/your-visit nearer the festival.

Community Bandstand

Restrictions permitting, we hope to be able to have our bandstand up and running as usual, where you can enjoy free, al fresco music and entertainment from a range of local groups on our community stage.

Guilds of Craftsmen

Members of the Herefordshire, Cotswold and Worcester Guilds will be exhibiting their latest collection of work on College Green – the perfect opportunity to buy a festival gift from a highly skilled maker working within the Three Counties.

Organ Building

The Institute of British Organ Building (IBO) will hold their annual exhibition in the festival village, the content of which will be dependent on restrictions in place during July. Open daily during the festival.

Quiet Room

Restrictions permitting, the Quiet Room will be located centrally in the festival village as a space in which to unwind, perfect for those who want time to relax between concerts, away from the lively comings and goings on College Green. Please visit 3choirs.org/your-visit nearer the festival for full information and timings.

Ticket Office, Shop and Information

Open daily from 10 am until the start of the evening concert

Plans are currently being made for the information hub of the festival, including the ticket office and shop, to be located in Choir House, just on the edge of the Festival Village. More information regarding these facilities and how we are making them COVID-19 safe will be available at 3choirs.org/ booking-information nearer the festival.

Cathedral Rehearsals

Are you interested to see what happens during a rehearsal process, or perhaps you want to familiarise yourself with a certain piece of music? Restrictions permitting, you can dip into a cathedral rehearsal for free and get a flavour of life behind the scenes at the festival. Full details of rehearsal periods and cathedral opening times will be online at 3choirs.org/your-visit and worcestercathedral.co.uk nearer the festival.

Eating and Drinking

You can pre-book a two-course dinner, served in the King’s School dining hall at 6 pm on any evening of the festival. Priced at £25 per person, all menus include a main course and dessert, a glass of wine (except on Monday) or soft drink, and tea or coffee. Please inform the ticket office of any special dietary requirements when booking.

Pre-concert Dinner Menu

Saturday 24th July

• Pork fillet on black pudding mash with sage and cider jus

• Wild mushroom risotto (v)

Sunday 25th July

• Chef’s carvery: beef and turkey with trimmings

• Lentil and mixed bean loaf (v)

Monday 26th July

• Sautéed chicken, asparagus and prosecco sauce

• Goat’s cheese, caramelised onion and vegetable tart (v)

Tuesday 27th July

• Lamb cutlets with champ potato cake

• Portobello stuffed mushroom (v)

Wednesday 28th July

• Pan seared chicken with white wine velouté

• Sweet potato, spinach and ricotta strudel (v)

Thursday 29th July

• Lamb rogan josh, chicken jalfrezi

• Aubergine and potato tandoor (v)

Friday 30th July

• Fresh battered cod

• Deep fried halloumi with lime dressing (v)

Saturday 31st July

• Beef wellington with Madeira sauce

• Mediterranean vegetable pithivier (v)

For full menu details, please go to 3choirs.org

Worcester City

Full details of venue accessibility can be found online at: 3choirs.org/accessibility

Coaches to outlying venues will collect from and return to King Street.

City Centre

1 Festival Village

WR1 2LA

• Worcester Cathedral & The Undercroft

• College Hall

• West End Gardens

• King’s School (WR 1 2LL)

2 St Andrew’s Methodist Church WR1 2QT

3 Museum of Royal Worcester, Henry Sandon Hall WR1 2ND

4 Worcester Baptist Church WR1 1LN

5 St Martin’s Church, London Road WR5 2ED

6 RGS Worcester WR1 1HP

Castle

DY10 1DB

Malvern College

WR14 3DF

Nicholson & Co. Workshop WR14 1UU

Festival Village

We are working hard to finalise the exact layout of our festival village. Full details will be available nearer the time at 3choirs.org/your-visit

Coaches to outlying venues will collect from and return to King Street.

E2

E3

E1

*Indicates entrances with step-free access. Full access details

BOOKING INFORMATION

How to Book

Online: 3choirs.org

By Phone: 01452 768 928

Monday – Friday, 10 am – 4 pm

On-site ticket office: Choir House, 4 College Green, WR1 2LL

Opening dates and times for our on-site ticket office will be available on our website nearer the festival. During the festival, the ticket office will be open daily from 10am until the start of each evening concert.

Booking Fees and Dispatch

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to each order (unless you are booking for a cathedral service only, in which case no transaction fee applies), plus 50p for postage. Alternatively, you can opt to have your tickets emailed to you and can either print them at home or show them on the door, using a smart phone or tablet.

All postal ticket orders will be dispatched approximately two weeks before the festival, along with further information regarding COVID-19 secure procedures, and timed entry details for your events. E-ticket recipients will receive further information by email.

This year, we would encourage bookers, including international bookers, to please use the e-ticket option wherever possible, to avoid significant footfall in our on-site ticket office.

Please visit 3choirs.org/bookinginformation for full details regarding the ticket concessions we offer.

Accessibility

We welcome all visitors to the festival, and we are happy to help with access requirements wherever possible. A separate fact sheet is available, giving full details of access to all venues.

If you have any access requirements, please contact the ticket office directly, prior to booking your tickets. Once we have set up your access needs on our ticketing system, you will then be able to book online or over the phone. A very limited number of car parking spaces are available for drivers with a blue badge, which will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

For detailed information and to download the fact sheet, please visit 3choirs.org/accessibility

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 festival visit.

This year, we would encourage bookers to pre-order their programme book copies when booking their tickets. We will send you details of how to safely collect your programme books at the festival nearer the time.

If you opt to pre-order your programme book, you will receive a discounted rate of £15 (£17 if purchased during 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 each (£6 if purchased during the festival).

Cathedral Services

This year, to help us manage your safety, you will be required to have a ticket to gain entry to all festival services in the cathedral, including the Opening Service, Evensong and Sunday Eucharist. Tickets will be free. It may, in some cases, be possible to gain entry on the day but we recommend booking your ticket in advance, to avoid disappointment. Further details regarding seating arrangements and other service logistics will be available at 3choirs.org/bookinginformation nearer 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.

All venues have step free access. Seats in all venues will be laid out in line with government guidance in effect at the time of the festival. Full details of venue accessibility can be found at 3choirs.org/accessibility or please contact our ticket office for more information.

Worcester Cathedral

Miserrimus Door

North Door (step free)

Friends’ Door (step free)

College Hall

St Martin’s London Road

King’s School Theatre

Worcester Baptist Church

Kidderminster Town Hall

Worcester Cathedral Cloisters

Lady Chapel (unreserved)

Sponsors and Supporters

The Three Choirs Festival is grateful to the following organisations and individuals for their generous support:

Public Bodies

We are grateful to have received DCMS Culture Recovery Funding in the lead-up to this year's festival.

In Partnership

Friends Organisations

Trusts and Foundations

Individual Supporters

Diamond Patrons

Wigornia Circle Commissioning Circle

The C-T Trust ⋅ D G Albright Charitable Trust

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust ⋅ The Elmley Foundation ⋅ The Finzi Trust

The Hawthorne Charitable Trust ⋅ The Herbert Howells Trust

The Perry Family Charitable Trust ⋅ Richard Hall Charitable Trust

The Roger & Douglas Turner Charitable Trust ⋅ RVW Trust

The Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust ⋅ William A Cadbury Charitable Trust

Richard Arenschieldt ⋅ Robert and Sherill Atkins ⋅ Mr and Mrs David Ball

Joanna Brickell ⋅ Michael Guittard and Harry Prince ⋅ Penny Moore

Katharine O’Carroll ⋅ Anja Potze ⋅ Fr Michael Thomas ⋅ Pamela White

Michael Hosking ⋅ Penny Moore ⋅ Sir Michael and Lady Perry

Mr and Mrs David Ball ⋅ Miss Hilary Elgar ⋅ Lord and Lady Flight

Julia and Anthony Glossop ⋅ Gerald and Cynthia Harris ⋅ Graham and Sally Moore

Sir Michael and Lady Perry ⋅ Elaine Spalding ⋅ Anonymous Supporters

Enid Castle ⋅ Richard Hall ⋅ Barbara and Peter Hulac

The Revd Canon Ian Macrae Michael ⋅ Jeremy Wilding

There are a number of ways you can support the work of the Three Choirs Festival. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact our Development Manager, Grace Green: grace.green@3choirs.org | 01452 768 933

Fiddlers Three

The Music Makers

Choral Evensong

Lay Clerks

The World Imagined

Gabriel Jackson

Choral Evensong

Odyssey

Ludwig

Choral Evensong ● King Arthur

Armstrong Gibbs

Choral Evensong

Bliss Clarinet Quintet

Worcester Wags & Wagers

Frederick Delius ● A Minor Excursion

Shanna Hart ● Age to Age

Three Stories about Flying ● The Elgar Chorale

Philharmonia Young Artists

Henry V, War Criminal? ● Beethoven Reflected

Beet(who) ven?

Fair Oriana

● Fenella Humphreys

Bach Magnificat

Duruflé Requiem

The Marian Consort

The Orlando Consort

Henry V

English Symphony Orchestra ● Choral Evensong ● Troubled Times

Henry V

Henry Sandon

Tiny Tunes

Elgar’s Footsteps

Society Outing

Opening Service

Festival Eucharist

Paul Greally

Choral Evensong

David Briggs

The Becoming

Saint Nicolas

Giving Voice to my Music

Evening Prayer

Choral Evensong ● Belshazzar’s Feast

Gabrieli Roar: Re-Creation

Evening Prayer

Singing the Lord’s song

Clair de Lune

Gaspard’s Foxtrot 2

James Gilchrist

Joby Burgess

Gaspard’s Foxtrot

Daniel Mathieson

Camarilla Ensemble

NYSO

Society Lunch

The Great Journey ● Forgotten Histories ● Storytelling with Gaspard the Fox

Enoch Arden

Elgar-Atkins Partnership

David Briggs

Matthew Schellhorn

Nicholson & Co.

Colonialism & Empire

FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE

Elgar’s Footsteps

Fluttery Strings

Ivor Atkins

Seeing & Hearing

Adventures in the Archives ● Elgar’s Footsteps

Restoration of Manchester’s Cavaillé-Coll

NYCGB ● Sung Eucharist