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United Kingdom Three Choirs Festival [5] – Mendelssohn, Wood, Elgar, Sumsion, McDowall, Stanford: Roderick Williams (baritone), Hannah Etherington (soprano), Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir, Philharmonia Orchestra / Martyn Brabbins (conductor). Gloucester Cathedral, 28.7.2026. (JQ)
United Kingdom Three Choirs Festival [4] – Elgar, Poulenc, Janáček: Katelyn Emerson (organ), Rachel Nicholls (soprano), Hilary Summers (contralto). Gwyn Hughes Jones (tenor), Ashley Riches (bass), Three Choirs Festival Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra / Adrian Partington (conductor). Gloucester Cathedral, 27.7.2026. (JQ)
United Kingdom Three Choirs Festival [3] – Rachmaninov, Skidmore: Martha McLorinan (mezzo-soprano), James Robinson (tenor), Simone Rebello (bells), Ex Cathedra / Jeffrey Skidmore (conductor). Gloucester Cathedral, 26.7.2026. (JQ)
United Kingdom Three Choirs Festival [2] – ‘From the Forest of Dean to the Appalachians’: Roderick Williams (baritone), Iain Burnside (piano). Gloucester Cathedral, 26.7.2026. (JQ)
United Kingdom Three Choirs Festival [1] – Higgins, Elgar, Walton: David Stout (baritone), Three Choirs Festival Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra / Adrian Partington (conductor). Gloucester Cathedral, 25.7.2026. (JQ)
United Kingdom Cheltenham Music Festival. Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler: Lee Bissett (soprano), Claudia Huckle (contralto), Elgan Llŷr Thomas (tenor), Aidan Smith (bass), South Cotswold Big Sing Group, British Sinfonietta / Adrian Partington (conductor). Tewkesbury Abbey, 4.7.2026. (JQ)
Gloucester Cathedral gets its voice back
In 2025 I reviewed for MusicWeb International a recording of organ music by Jehan Alain and Maurice Duruflé which the British organist, Matthew Martin had recorded on the organ of Buckfast Abbey. I read in the booklet a phrase that resonated with me: Martin referred to the organ as ‘the voice of the building’. Shortly afterwards, by coincidence, I heard the Very Rev. Andrew Zihni, the Dean of Gloucester, voice similar sentiments when he spoke at the carol concert in the cathedral on Boxing Day 2025 when he said of the organ: ‘When it sings, the Cathedral breathes’.
A strong tradition and a bright future. David Francis, CEO of the Three Choirs Festival in conversation with John Quinn
The Three Choirs Festival is almost certainly the oldest music festival in the world: it can trace its origins back to around 1715. The Festival began as an annual gathering, lasting just a couple of days, of the Musical Societies of the cathedral cities of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester; the respective cathedral choirs were part of these societies and sang services, accompanied by an orchestra, during the gatherings. From the outset, each of the three cities took it in turn to host the annual get-togethers. The gatherings gradually widened in scope and duration. Nowadays, the Festival runs for a week and includes a wide variety of concerts, recitals, talks and social events.