THREE FESTIVAL 2019 26 JULY – 3 AUGUST 01452 768928 3choirs.org

Booking opens in April

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I am excited to introduce this year’s 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 choral- © Michael Whitefoot orchestral repertoire, whilst offering challenges by performing musical rarities beautiful , and the astonishing climax and premieres. The evening concerts has no parallel. We are also honouring feature such pillars of the repertoire as Sir James MacMillan’s 60th birthday with Verdi’s Requiem, conducted by Edward an evensong consisting entirely of his music, Gardner, Beethoven’s Ninth and and the first performance of an important Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony, each to new work for solo organ, played by be performed with passion and elegance by John Scott Whiteley. our resident , the Philharmonia, We are delighted that the BBC National and the heroic Festival Chorus. We will also Orchestra of Wales will be presenting a present some less commonly-performed centenary performance of Elgar’s Cello works such as Holst’s The Mystic Trumpeter, , with the wonderful British virtuoso, David Matthews’s beautiful short cantata Natalie Clein; and the spectacular Berlioz Stars (1970), Stanford’s Songs of the Fleet, and Overture Le Carnaval romain at this year’s the first UK performance of Mendelssohn’s festival. We are proud to honour in this arrangement of Handel’s Israel in Egypt. Other concert the late (who died in items that may be new to you include Carl January this year), by offering a revival of his Davis’s Last Train to Tomorrow (2011), Stephen most significant choral-orchestral work, An McNeff’s The Burning Boy (2017) and Giles English Requiem, which made a big impression Swayne’s Our Orphan Souls (2014), and we at its premiere in Gloucester in 2010. are proud to present the first performance of Bob Chilcott’s Christmas Oratorio. I believe that we are offering at Gloucester in 2019 a thrilling programme of old and new; We are honouring one very significant and I hope that you will join us at the 292nd anniversary at the Festival: 150 years since meeting of the Three Choirs Festival. the death of arguably the most influential 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 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 OfficeThe Three Choirs Festival Association Ltd, 7c College Green, Gloucester GL1 2LX Registered Company No 00580176 Registered Charity No 204609 3 27). 27). interest interest 29), delve into 29), 35), who also who give35), a full 31) and learn31) the about Holst John Tavener John Burrows © Adrian 29) 32). Holst’s own Holst’s 32). settings Rig of

Roxanna Panufnik Roxanna Marc © Paul 24), discover24), the building blocks of 31) and in31) a singular event interweaving Hymns toHymns India Cheltenham-born ’s in Indian culture was the catalyst for this explorationa rich of seam Anglo- of Indian connections. In partnership with the Birthplace Holst Museum Bhavan Centreand can you ’s try your hand Bharatanatyam at dance (p Indian Classical and Music explore the origins the of Rig (p Veda historicGloucestershire’s connections to India (p Birthplace Museum’s collection from the ‘Indian composer’s Period’ (p canVeda be heard in Painswick (Set I, p contemporary choral settings and traditional chanting Rig of Veda (Set III, p Activities all for the family include an Indian crafts morning and a musical retelling the of Ramayana from the Dr K Sextet (p recital music exploring of the world’s stories (p

18) 18) Roderick Clare McCaldin Clare McCaldin Tudor as Mary © Robert Workman ( 20), the20), solo Maud , p Les nuits d’été 18) to the18) touching in Mary’s Hand, p , p Somervell’s , p 24). James Gilchrist Joshua Ellicott Clare McCaldin Clare voice canvoice transport a listener to the heart a timeof place. This or recitals year’s reach into history, landscape and the arc human of experience, from the terror young of man in a WWI trench ( lifecycles Berlioz’s of (p 26) and Williams 4 4 to the dramatic escarpment Wenlock of Edge ( From theFrom intrigue Court a Tudor of ( A glance atsome of our key inspirations andprogramming strands connecting more than70 events this in year's festival: in Song Adventures Joshua Ellicott © Sane Seven Ellicott © Sane Joshua FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS Berlioz 150 New Notes: New Voices The 150th anniversary of the death of Music by living is an important Romantic visionary Hector Berlioz was one part of every festival programme, but of the very first milestones to shape this year’s especially this year, where each performance programme, beginning with the extraordinary with young performers to the fore features La Damnation de Faust on the first night in music of today. Stephen McNeff’s music- (p 10). Later in the week, theatre-come-miracle-play The Burning Boy you can hear his orchestral firecracker (p 8) and Carl Davis’s Last Train to Tomorrow Le Carnaval Romain (p 19) and the seductive (p 32) bookend a week which sees the Youth song cycle Les nuits d’été (p 26) and find out give a UK premiere (p 17), the Rodolfus more about his life and work from Berlioz Choir pay tribute to John Tavener (p 14) and expert Hugh MacDonald (p 9). 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 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). Hector Berlioz

John Tavener © Adrian Burrows

Shivaangee Agrawal

Carl Davis Bob Chilcott Bob ChilcottJames Gilchrist 5 ABOUT US ABOUT FRIDAY Three Choirs Festival Orchestra in Residence The Three Choirs Festival is a week-long The is a world- programme of choral and orchestral class symphony orchestra for the 21st concerts, cathedral services, solo and century, led by Principal Conductor & recitals, talks, theatre, Artistic Advisor Esa-Pekka Salonen. family events, exhibitions and social The Orchestra’s home is Southbank activities, rotating each summer Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, London, between the beautiful cathedral cities where it presents over 50 performances of Gloucester, Worcester and . each year. Six other residencies across It’s thought to be the longest-standing

the UK bring the Philharmonia to a wide JULY 26 classical music festival in the world and national audience. Internationally, the celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2015. Philharmonia is active across Europe, At the heart of the modern festival are Asia and the USA. large-scale evening concerts featuring the Three Choirs Festival Chorus and Founded in 1945, the Phiharmonia has the Philharmonia Orchestra (resident been self-governing since 1964 and is at the festival since 2012) alongside owned by its 80 members. Salonen has internationally-recognised soloists. been Principal Conductor since 2008. The festival’s packed schedule of daytime Jakub Hrůša and Santtu-Matias Rouvali events and the friendly atmosphere are Principal Guest Conductors and of our bustling festival village is Christoph von Dohnányi and Vladimir augmented by a growing programme Ashkenazy are honorary conductors. of bespoke community and outreach The Philharmonia’s Principal projects beginning in the run up to the International Partner is Wuliangye. 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

Puppetry by About Face Theatre Philharmonia Orchestra © Ash Mills

6 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928

FRIDAY SEVEN LAST WORDS FROM THE CROSS

7.45 – 9.40 pm Tewkesbury The acclaimed choir of Merton £35, £30, £22, £12 College, Oxford celebrates Sir James MacMillan’s 60th birthday year with Choir of Merton College, Oxford his spellbinding masterpiece Seven Bristol Ensemble Last Words from the Cross, an intensely

26 JULY 26 Benjamin Nicholas conductor moving account of the final moments Judith Weir Ave Regina Caelorum 4' of Christ’s crucifixion. A selection of Alma redemptoris reflective works from some of Britain’s mater 4' finest choral composers opens the James MacMillan Miserere 11' concert, with the first half culminating Arvo Pärt Cantus in Memoriam in Gabriel Jackson’s vivid and 7' jubilant motet. Gabriel Jackson Countless and Coach departs 6.45 pm; Wonderful are the Ways to Praise £9 returns by approx. 10.30 pm God 9' James MacMillan Seven Last Words from the Cross 45' FRIDAY

Tewkesbury Abbey ' pm pm; The Burning Boy 70

Coach departs 1 returns by approx. 4 pm Tewkesbury pm 01452 768 928 £9 2 – 3.15 £8 £12, £20, £25, Stephen McNeff With a libretto by renowned children’s poet Charles this Causley, ‘miracle play music theatre’for weaves the story of Elijah into a harvest-time tale set in a rural England rich in folklore and ritual. With a chorus youngof harvesters drawn from and a professional cast, prepare to be enchanted by the immediacy and emotion this of ancient tale. The Burning Boy The Burning 3choirs.org conductor am andam processions Cathedral organ am We sing God to We

am, please be seated no Psalm 150

Te Deum Te

(ticket required) General booking opens 24 on April: 8 Janet Wheeler Stanford Doors open at 10.15 begin at 10.45 later than 10.40 the by Supported D G Albright Trust Opening Service am11 – 12 noon FREE Cathedral Choir Gloucester Three Choirs Festival Chorus Jonathan Hope RWCMD Ensemble Adrian Partington Elgar

SATURDAY 27 JULY Luke Jones Piano Recital The Damnation of Faust 2 – 3.15 pm St Mary de Crypt 7 – 9.50 pm Cathedral £15 See following page for more information Debussy Images, Book 1 15' Chopin Ballade No 4 in F minor 12' A Sacred Journey: From Bach Prokofiev Sonata No 8 in B flat 30' to the Antebellum South Luke Jones, winner of the 2018 Bromsgrove 10.15 – 11.30 pm St Mary De Crypt International Competition presents a £17 programme of pianistic fireworks with three evocatively lyrical masterpieces of Enigmatic improvising pianist Alexander the Romantic piano repertoire. Douglas takes a series of Bach chorales as a stimulus for improvisations in a style Tewkesbury Abbey Organ Recital spanning the spirituals, gospel music and jazz. In turn, African-American spirituals 4.30 – 5.30 pm Tewkesbury Abbey will be interpreted and brought into dialogue £12 unreserved with Bach's work in this fascinating collision Steven McIntyre organ between Reformation Germany and the Deep South of early nineteenth-century America. 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 SATURDAY 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.

Alexander Douglas © M. Sicilia

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 9 SUNDAY 28 JULY La Damnation 136' de Faust

Berlioz fantasticallyBerlioz’s inventive choral triumph – part cantata, part opera, and part grand orchestral fantasy – was described by Thomas Beecham glorious as ‘a bunch a stellar welcome We tunes’. of cast soloists of to this musically thrilling tour-de-force, depicting everything from tender duets, love to student drinking songs, to a galloping ride to hell. baritone (Méphistophélès) baritone conductor

mezzo-soprano (Marguerite) mezzo-soprano bass (Brander)

tenor (Faust) tenor Cathedral

pm

7 – 9.50 Peter Hoare Susan Bickley Adrian Partington £55, £50, £32, £15 £55, £50, £25, Christopher Purves David Ireland Orchestra Philharmonia Choristers of Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Choristers of Three Choirs Festival Chorus THE OFDAMNATION FAUST SATURDAY SUNDAY 11 34 for more details34 more for St MarySt Lode de nt pm y Eve y l Antara Duo Antara 2.30 – 3.30 ages (ideal for 5-11) £6 A lively and engaging introduction to chamber music. See p the by Supported Trust Music Chamber Cavatina Fami A £2.50 transactionA £2.50 fee applies to all ticket orders

s plays. See ’ Cantica Sacra conductor Sacred and Pater noster; noster; Pater Surely the Lord Cathedral organ

pm (ages pm 13-16)

Missa Brevis The life of bread

am am (ages 7-12) and am – 12.30 (no ticket (no required) 34 for more details.34 more for hallowed fire Panis Angelicus from is in this place Festival Eucharist Festival – 11.4510.15 Drama Workshop Shakespearean Journeys – 11 10 11.30 Palace Garden £6 Bishop’s Old A practical exploration and word of movement in Shakespeare

Cecilia McDowall FREE Cathedral Choir Gloucester Hope Jonathan Adrian Partington Giles Swayne Michael Tavinor p Burrell Diana KakabadseLydia Antara Duo © Kaupo Kikkas

SUNDAY 28 JULY Madeleine Mitchell Choral Evensong 4 – 6 pm St Catharine’s Church 5.30 – 6.15 pm Cathedral Quire £25, £20, U26 FREE FREE (no ticket required) Madeleine Mitchell violin Three Cathedral Choirs Clare Hammond piano Jonathan Hope organ Geraint Bowen conductor Howells Three Pieces 10' Gurney May Carol; The Apple Orchard; Philip Moore Responses (Set 3) Scherzo 10' Kerensa Briggs The Gloucester Service Robert Saxton Suite (premiere) 18' M Shaw The greater light Ian Venables Three Pieces 10' Vaughan Williams Prelude and Fugue James MacMillan Kiss on Wood 8' in C minor G Williams Sonata 18' Violinist Madeleine Mitchell revives a trio of Verdi Requiem unpublished works by famed Gloucestershire 7.45 – 9 pm Cathedral composer and gives us a rare chance to hear Grace Williams’ lyrical Sonata, See following page for more information alongside a varied selection of works written specially for Madeleine, including the world Hymnos: the Handel Project premiere of a lively new suite by 10.15 – 11.30 pm St Mary de Crypt Robert Saxton. £17 Coach departs 3.15 pm; £5 Clarinettist Alexander Douglas leads his returns by approx. 6.30 pm self-styled ‘jazz chamber ensemble’ Hymnos in an improvisatory exploration of Handel’s

SUNDAY best-known musical themes.

Evensong © Ash Mills Madeleine Mitchell © Rama Knight

12 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928

VERDI REQUIEM

7.45 – 9 pm Cathedral Giuseppe Verdi composed his dramatic £55, £50, £32, £25, £15 Messa da requiem in 1874, in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and Hye-Youn Lee soprano novelist whom Verdi admired. By turns Christine Rice alto terrifying and heart-breakingly beautiful, David Butt Philip tenor it is well-known for its exquisite melodies James Platt bass and depth of emotion, as one might expect Three Choirs Festival Chorus from the master of Italian opera. Philharmonia Orchestra Edward Gardner conductor Supported by the Friends of Gloucester Three Choirs Festival Verdi Messa da requiem 84'

SUNDAY

Edward Gardner © Benjamin Ealovega MONDAY TALK Rodolfus Choir Ivor Gurney 11.30 am – 1 pm Cathedral 9.30 – 10.30 am St Mary de Lode £30, £25, £20, £15, £10 £12 (includes coffee and pastries) Rodolfus Choir Soprano April Fredrick shares her love Ralph Allwood conductor of famed Gloucestershire composer Gurney’s music and poetry, much of Francis Grier Pax; Baby asleep; which was written in the trenches of …at midnight 16' World War I, and whose life and work Tavener O, do not move; As one who she has researched extensively. has slept; Eonia; The Lord’s Prayer; What God is, we do not know; The Three Choirs Festival Founder’s Prayer; Butterfly Dreams 31'

29 JULY 29 Society Outing Elgar Go, Song of Mine; Death on the Hills; The Prince of Sleep 14' Mahler (arr. Gottwald) Die zwei blauen 9.30 am – 1.15 pm Berkeley Castle Augen 6' £25 including travel and refreshments Debussy (arr. Gottwald Des pas sur (Society members only) la neige 4' Dating back to the 11th century, The vibrant young Rodolfus Choir the intriguing Berkeley Castle has returns to the festival with a programme played host to royalty, film crews, and inspired by peacefulness and serenity. everything in between. This visit offers Featuring music by Elgar and Tavener, Society members a chance to explore and with the highly acclaimed Ralph an extraordinary jewel in the crown of Allwood at the helm, this recital is sure British history. to be an oasis of calm and reflection during a busy week. 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.

Ivor Gurney Berkeley Castle

14 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 Celebrity Organ Recital Choral Evensong John Scott Whiteley 5.30 – 6.15 pm Cathedral Quire 2 – 3.15 pm Cathedral FREE (no ticket required) £20 unreserved Girl Choristers of Gloucester and John Scott Whiteley organ Worcester Cathedrals Nicholas Freestone organ Tournemire Improvisation sur le Victimae Nia Llewelyn Jones conductor paschali laudes 8' Bach Prelude and Fugue in F minor, June Nixon Responses BWV 534 9' Sumsion Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D Judith Weir The Tree of Peace 4' Schubert Gott ist mein Hirt James MacMillan Gaudeamus in loci pace 6' James MacMillan new work (premiere) 8' Rachmaninov Vespers Cochereau Symphonie in B flat minor 25' 8 – 9.15 pm Cathedral This year’s celebrity organist will be the See following page for more information dynamic John Scott Whiteley, who has recently recorded the entirety of Bach’s organ works for the BBC. Today’s recital includes the premiere Tango Stravinsky Bach of a new commission by James MacMillan and 10 – 11.15 pm Bach’s densely intricate Prelude and Fugue in £20 F minor. Adrián Varela explores the links between Family Event the music of Piazzolla and the tango Tommy Foggo Superhero master’s classical idols Bach and Stravinsky, alongside familiar and new original material.

2 – 3.15 pm Gloucester Guildhall A totally immersive experience, melding MONDAY £10, £8 children (ideal for ages 7+) video with the music of this versatile, 5-piece electric ensemble. 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 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.

Adrián Varela

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 15 TUESDAY 30 JULY This unaccompanied choral masterpiece is praised Rachmaninov’s of as one greatest musical achievements. Based on Orthodox chants, the haunting interweaving melodies express Rachmaninov’s deep and introspective faith in the most beautiful terms. perform this sublime in resplendent work the fading summer light magnificent Gloucester’s of cathedral. conductor

All-Night Vigil (Vespers) 70'

Cathedral pm

8 – 9.15 and Lee Bolton Monier-Williams Cottingham Peter by Supported Ex Cathedra Ex £40, £35, £25, £20, £15 £20, £35, £25, £40, Rachmaninov RACHMANINOV VESPERS Ex Cathedra © Roger Cable Ex MONDAY TUESDAY Talk work which draws on diverse cultures Singing for Mental Health and styles to look back on conflict and express a worldwide hope for the future. 9.30 – 10.30 am St Mary de Lode Alongside this, a dramatic setting of an £12 (includes coffee and pastries) excerpt from Moby-Dick by Giles Swayne Rosie Perkins considers how and why receives its UK premiere. singing supports mental health, drawing Supported by on recent research from the Centre for Michael Guittard and Harry Prince Performance Science, a partnership of the and Imperial Get involved! College London. If you’re an experienced singer aged Elgar Society Lecture 14-25, why not join in? You can find

30 JULY 30 full details of what to expect and how Elgar and English to apply at 3choirs.org/youth-choir Cathedral Music 11 am – 12.15 pm St Mary de Lode £12 Much Ado About Nothing Until 1969 the choir of Worcester 1.30 – 3.30 pm Cathedral did not sing any Elgar at all. Old Bishop’s Palace Garden Why was his music neglected even at £17, £10 children Worcester? Is it neglected still? Timothy The Festival Players Day discusses Elgar and English Cathedral Music, illustrated with historic ʻThe course of true love never did sound recordings. run smooth’, but the sparring antics of Shakespeare’s erstwhile lovers, 12.45 pm Elgar Society Lunch Beatrice and Benedick, provide great TUESDAY £30 or £40 to include the morning talk hilarity for the other members of the Lunch will be served at St Mary de Crypt household who plot to reunite them. following the morning’s lecture. All This delicious comedy will be performed welcome in an energetic, colourful production, with original songs by Johnny Coppin. The Armed Man Please note that this is an outdoor performance which will be relocated 11 am – 12.20 pm Cathedral only in the event of extremely adverse £35, £30, £25, £15, £10 weather conditions. 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

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 17 Joshua Ellicott Choral Evensong 2 – 4 pm St Catharine’s Church 5.30 – 6.15 pm Cathedral Quire £30, £25 FREE (no ticket required) Joshua Ellicott tenor St Cecilia Singers Simon Lepper piano Christopher Too organ Jonathan Hope conductor Finzi A Young Man’s Exhortation 27' Various/Ellicott From your ever-loving son, Jonathan Hope Responses (premiere) Jack 60' David Bednall Gloucester Service Ian Venables O Sing Aloud to God This unique recital intersperses songs by early Holst (arr. Richard Brasier) Scherzo from twentieth-century composers with readings of The Unfinished Symphony letters home from the trenches from Joshua Ellicott’s own great-uncle Jack. By turns funny, surprising and deeply moving, the letters An English Requiem chart Jack’s progress from his training to the 7.30 – 9.30 pm Cathedral front, and his day-to-day ups and downs speak for the many thousands of soldiers like him. See following page for more information  £5 Coach departs 1.15 pm; Mary’s Hand returns by approx. 4.15 pm 10 – 11.15 pm St Mary de Crypt Talk £17 1919: The Peace that Never Was ‘I am the one you do not like’. So begins Clare McCaldin’s new interactive one-woman 5 – 6.15 pm St Mary de Lode opera exploring the life of Mary Tudor, first £12 TUESDAY Queen Regnant of England. Remembered as Festival Chairman, Dr Timothy Brain, looks at Bloody Mary and surrounded by political and 1919, the first year of peace after the greatest religious intrigue she risked her head, heart war the world had ever seen. The peacemakers and even her soul to survive. Mary loved card at Versailles, however, sowed the seeds for an games and Fortune dealt her a tricky hand. even greater conflict. Let Mary set the record straight: choose a card so we may begin…

Clare McCaldin as Mary Tudor © Robert Workman

Joshua Ellicott © Sane Seven

18 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 AN ENGLISH REQUIEM

7.30 – 9.30 pm Cathedral In contrast to the orchestral whirlwind of £50, £45, £32, £25, £15 Berlioz’s Le Carnaval Romain, Joubert’s richly atmospheric English Requiem, premiered at April Fredrick soprano the festival in 2010, comprises a series of Neal Davies baritone reflections on death, charting an emotional Natalie Clein cello trajectory from despair to bright hope. Three Choirs Festival Chorus Alongside this, Elgar’s last major orchestral Three Cathedral Choir Choristers work, the contemplative Cello Concerto is BBC National Orchestra of Wales performed by the captivating Natalie Clein. Adrian Partington conductor Supported by Mr and Mrs David Ball Berlioz Le Carnaval Romain 8' Elgar Cello Concerto 30' This concert will Joubert An English Requiem 45' be recorded for future broadcast TUESDAY

Clare McCaldin as Mary Tudor © Robert Workman

Natalie Clein © Neda Navaee WEDNESDAY Talk On Wenlock Edge The Real Bloody Mary 11 am – 1 pm Cirencester Parish Church 9.30 – 10.30 am St Mary de Lode £30, £25, U26 FREE £12 (includes coffee and pastries) James Gilchrist tenor Who was the real ‘Bloody Mary’? Anna Tilbrook piano Elaborating on the revelations in Clare Carducci Quartet McCaldin’s dramatisation of Mary Ian Venables Songs of Eternity Tudor’s life at last night’s event, historian and Sorrow 16' Linda Porter presents a rounded view Ravel 30' of England’s first sovereign queen, a Debussy De Soir; Noël des enfants woman whose dramatic life finds many qui n’ont plus de maisons; Eventail; echoes in our own times. Green 12' Vaughan Williams On Wenlock Edge 25' James MacMillan in Six titans of chamber music come Conversation together for this selection of beautifully evocative, nostalgic works. James

1 ULY JU 31 11 am – 12.15 pm St Mary de Lode £12 Gilchrist and Anna Tilbrook perform James MacMillan joins Adrian a selection of Debussy’s fresh and Partington ahead of today’s broadcast seductively impressionistic songs, evensong of his work to discuss his and join the Carducci Quartet for two music and the impact his faith has cycles of Housman settings; while the had on his writing. 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

20 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 Family Event Cirencester Organ Recital Drumming Workshop 2 – 3 pm Cirencester Parish Church 11.30 am – 12.15 pm £12 unreserved Old Bishop’s Palace Garden Anita Datta organ £6 (ideal for ages 6+) Byrd A Voluntarie (for My Ladye Nevell); Learn some simple Samba and African Fantasia 10' drumming in this high energy drumming Saint-Saëns movements from workshop. See p 35 for more details. Sept Improvisations 25' Bach Fantasia and Fugue BWV 904 8' Much Ado About Nothing Langlais Fête 6' 1.30 – 3.30 pm The second in our series of recitals by young Old Bishop’s Palace Garden organists features essentials of the organ £17, £10 children repertoire from across the centuries.

The Festival Players  £9 Coach departs 12.45 pm; returns by approx. 4 pm ʻThe course of true love never did run smooth’, but the sparring antics of Shakespeare’s Supported by Father Michael Thomas erstwhile lovers, Beatrice and Benedick, provide great hilarity for the other members Choral Evensong of the household who plot to reunite them. This delicious comedy will be performed in an 3.30 – 4.15 pm Cathedral Quire energetic, colourful production, with original FREE (no ticket required) songs by Johnny Coppin. Three Cathedral Choirs Please note that this is an outdoor performance Jonathan Hope organ Adrian Partington conductor

which will be relocated only in the event of WEDNESDAY extremely adverse weather conditions. 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 Mary Tudor The Festival Players

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 21 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, Three Deans © Michael Whitefoot red rose Matti Hyökki On suuri sun rantas Jaakko Mantyjarvi Pseudo-Yoik Lite Three Deans’ Sporting Contest Joni Mitchell (arr. Jim Clements) River and Gloucester Friends’ Tea Don MacDonald When the Earth Stands Still Guns N’ Roses Sweet Child O’ Mine 5 – 6.30 pm Old Bishop’s Palace Garden Jim Clements The woman’s IF £15 (includes a light tea) Jetse Bremer Sigh No More, Ladies Our Gloucester Friends invite you to join Libby Larsen Jack’s Valentine them at a garden party and to cheer on your Imogen Heap Hide and Seek cathedral of choice at the latest fixture Purcell (arr. Gunnar Eriksson) Music for in the ultimate battle for sporting supremacy. a while Don MacDonald Fusion Please note that this is an outdoor event which will be relocated only in the event of extremely Stunning a cappella vocal quintet Papagena adverse weather conditions. explore the full gamut of close harmony WEDNESDAY music from the 11th to the 21st century. Israel in Egypt From sacred hymns and ancient madrigals, 7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral to inventive arrangements of Guns N’ Roses, Imogen Heap and Joni Mitchell, this is sure See following page for more information to be a brilliant evening of entertainment.

Papagena

22 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 ISRAEL IN EGYPT

7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral One of Handel’s most dramatic and exciting £50, £45, £32, £25, £15 oratorios, Israel in Egypt tells the biblical story of the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt and Susanna Fairbairn soprano their escape across the Red Sea. The ten Rebecca Afonwy Jones soprano plagues descending on the Egyptians are Jess Dandy alto astoundingly descriptive: pelting hail and the Stuart Jackson tenor buzzing flies and locusts are vividly conjured James Newby bass in sound. This arrangement by Mendelssohn, Three Choirs Festival Chorus created for his own large chorus, has never Philharmonia Orchestra been heard in concert in the UK. Geraint Bowen conductor Handel (arr. Mendelssohn) Israel in Egypt Supported by (UK concert premiere) 83' The Gloucester Chairman’s Circle

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY Chapel Somervell’s pioneering Maud, which Organ Recital sparked a trend of melancholically dramatic lyrical narrative in Romantic 10 – 11 am Cheltenham College Chapel song, to a new piece by Ian Venables, £12 unreserved the heir of this long tradition of song. Christopher Strange organ  £7 Coach departs 10.30 am Bruhns Praeludium in G 8' returns by approx. 1.45 pm Howells Psalm Prelude Set 2, No 2 8' Mendelssohn Allegro, Chorale Three Choirs Festival Society and Fugue 10' Members’ Lunch Vierne extracts from Symphony No 1 25' 1.30 – 3 pm Cheltenham College Library Cheltenham College Chapel organ has £30 undergone an extensive refurbishment Join fellow Society members for a two- since the festival was last in Gloucester,

1 AUGUST 1 course lunch, followed by an address by and today’s young organist showcases Society President Roderick Williams. the excellent results. Coach departs 12.45 pm Coach departs 9 am £7 £7 returns by approx. 3.30 pm returns by approx. 11.30 am

Supported by Father Michael Thomas The Three Choirs Festival Society AGM will take place on Sunday 28 Roderick Williams July at 1.30 pm at St Mary de Crypt. 11.30 am – 1.15 pm Cheltenham College Theatre Indian Dance Workshop £30 2 – 3.15 pm, of Music Roderick Williams baritone £10 Susie Allan piano Shivaangee Agrawal leads an interactive Parry English Lyrics, Volume 7 14' workshop on Bharatanatyam and Kevin Brown Description of Spring 3' Karnatic Rhythms. Aimed at adults, the Ian Venables What then? 3' workshop requires no prior movement (world premiere) or musical experience. Come and try Bernadette Marmion When you are old 3' something new! Christopher Maxim There is sweet Music 3' Elaine Hugh-Jones Eight O’Clock 1' Bharatanatyam Showcase Pamela Mellor Winter’s End; Spring 3' 3.45 – 4.30 pm Vaughan Williams The Splendour falls; Gloucester Academy of Music Blackmwore by the Stour 6' £12, £5 children and workshop attendees Somervell Maud 36' Shivaangee Agrawal follows her The ever-popular Roderick Williams workshop with a solo performance of returns to the festival with his Bharatanatyam, a genre of the Indian longstanding accompanist Susie Allan classical dance tradition characterised in a programme that charts the diversity by the use of intricate gesture to and passion of English song. From communicate a story or idea.

24 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 Chilcott Christmas Oratorio WULSTAN ATKINS LECTURE 4.30 – 6 pm Cathedral A History of English Song £40, £35, £25, £20, £15 6.15 – 7.15 pm St Mary de Lode Sarah Connolly mezzo-soprano £12 Nick Pritchard tenor Ian Venables, ‘Britain’s greatest living Neal Davies baritone composer of art song’ (Musical Opinion), Three Cathedral Choirs explores the evolution of English song and Philharmonia Players the host of composers with a local connection Adrian Partington conductor who have contributed so much to this genre. Handl Impetum inimicorum 6' Supported by Katharine O’Carroll and Robert Victoria Laetatus sum 7' and Sherill Atkins Britten A Ceremony of Carols 23' Bob Chilcott Christmas Oratorio Summer Nights (premiere) 50' 7.45 – 10 pm Cathedral It’s Christmas in August! We bring you the best of the festive season in Britten’s See following page for more information beautiful masterpiece A Ceremony of Carols. This concert also offers the first chance to Lay Clerks in Concert hear a new commission by Bob Chilcott, and a rare opportunity to hear the lower 10.30 – 11.30 pm St Mary de Crypt voices of the combined cathedral choirs £17 in intricate Renaissance polyphony. Gloucester Cathedral Choir present an This concert will evening of light entertainment with repertoire be recorded for future spanning many centuries and styles. broadcast THURSDAY Supported by Dame Amelia Fawcett. Sarah Connolly supported by Jeremy Wilding and Sue Vaughan

Bob Chilcott © John Bellars

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

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 25 FRIDAY 2 AUGUST , as fresh s Les – despite nuits its d’été innocuous ’ Our orchestra-in-residence presents three presents Our orchestra-in-residence visionary orchestral pieces under the assured Martyn of baton Brabbins, beginning with Stravinsky’s sparkling Firebird Suite and invigorating today as was it a century ago. Brimming over with savage emotional ferociously compellingintensity, Walton’s concludesFirst the Symphony concert, while Berlioz title – explores a life cycle and love loss. of conductor mezzo-soprano

Cathedral Second Suite fromSecond pm Les 31' nuits d’été Symphony No 1 43' No Symphony

The Firebird (1919) 23' The (1919) Firebird

Martyn Brabbins © Benjamin Ealovega Martyn – 10 7.45 Walton Stravinsky Berlioz Martyn Brabbins Philharmonia Orchestra Orchestra Philharmonia Kathryn Rudge Kathryn £50, £45, £32, £25, £15 £32, £15 £45, £50, £25, SUMMER NIGHTSSUMMER THURSDAY FRIDAY 27 pm am; Cathedral conductor String Quartet 17'

String Quartet 2 20' No Octet 30'

Minsterworth Church Coach departs 10 returns approx. 1.30 pm Miniature String Quartet 8'

Will Harvey Will am – 1 £7 And There Grow Flowers: Flowers: Grow There And FWRemembering Harvey 11 £5 £10, £15, ChamberSabrinensis Choir Ringers Cranham Handbell Gaudemus Youth Strings Sheridan Judith Will Harvey was a contemporary and friend Gurney Ivor of and . This concert explores the warmth Will of Harvey’s character and his relationship with Gloucestershire throughout his life, celebrating his new commemoration window in Minsterworth Church. Harvey’s story is through woven music, poetry and readings.  Mendelssohn’s Octet am11 – 12.45 pm A chance the to see of some familiar ourfaces of in-residence Philharmonia Orchestra in chamber a music setting. Octet resplendent ’s string double for quartet is paired with a rare chance to hear his lesser sister’s known, equally but rich, String Quartet. In between, sits an exhilarating by work Phibbs, whoseJoseph Memento Musica was premiered the at festival 2016 to acclaim. much £30, £25, £20, £15, £10, U26 FREE U26 £10, £15, £20, £25, £30, Players Chamber Philharmonia F Mendelssohn Mendelssohn Joseph Phibbs Joubert

A £2.50 transactionA £2.50 fee applies to all ticket orders pm pm . am – 1.30 St MarySt Lode de NT am pm. holstmuseum.org.uk EVE Y L 35 for more details. more for 35 am – 4 am AMI The and Satyavan story of Savitri Drop in betweenDrop 11.30 F MarySt Lode de all (ideal£5 for ages) Discover all India about through crafts! See p from the Birthplace Holst Museum in Cheltenham. Angela will draw on the collections the held at museum, including the autograph manuscript of Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda and costumes from production a 1970s hisof chamber opera Savitri Arts and Crafts Drop-In: of India A Taste Holstand India – 10.30 9.30 (includes coffee pastries)and £12 Explore Indian of Gustav love Holst’s culture and its influenceon hiswork in this illustrated talk by Angela Applegate The Holst Birthplace Museum in Cheltenham is open Tuesday – Saturday 10.30

FRIDAY 2 AUGUST Guided Tour of The Glevum Consort Secunda Priory 2.30 – 3.40 pm Tours lasting one hour at 12.30 and £17 1.30 pm Llanthony Secunda Priory The Glevum Consort look back to Llanthony £12 Secunda Priory’s 13th-century heyday, when Explore the newly restored remains of the texts such as the Old English Edi Beo Thu, former Augustinian Priory, founded in 1136. now commonly known as the Llanthony Carol, By the end of the 15th century Llanthony were housed within its walls. The concert Secunda was the richest Augustinian house in traces the history of medieval Gloucester England, entertaining the court of Henry VII through music, arriving at Byrd’s Mass for in 1500 and 1501. Four Voices, which in this intimate setting will recall their original early performances Sanders Society Lunch in secret Catholic Masses during Elizabeth I’s reign. 1 – 2.30 pm St Mary de Crypt £30 (includes cold buffet lunch) £5 Coach departs 1.45 pm; returns by approx. 4 pm The Sanders Society hosts a lunch with guest speaker Richard Shephard, one of the Supported by Elspeth Barkes UK’s pre-eminent composers of church music who began his musical life as a chorister at Gloucester Cathedral. FRIDAY

Donald Hunt, Roy Massey, and John Joubert © Derek Foxton

28 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 Exploring Indian Vaughan Williams Society Classical Music Tea and Talk 3 – 4.15 pm St Mary de Lode 5.30 – 7 pm St Mary de Crypt £12 £20 (includes a light tea) Balu Raguraman violin Join the Vaughan Williams Society for a light M Balachandra mridangam tea and an interesting talk by special guest David Owen Norris on the composer’s life Leading South Indian performers from and music. The Bhavan Centre in London present an afternoon of Karnatic Raga music. An improvisation around ancient melodic and A Sea Symphony rhythmic structures, Raga is an intoxicating 7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral interplay of musical inspiration and mathematical precision. See following page for more information TALK Meditations on the Rig Veda The Rig Veda 10.30 – 11.30 pm Cathedral Quire 5 – 6 pm St Mary de Lode £15 £12 The Oriel Singers Vedic chanting dates back three millennia Ben Sawyer conductor and is arguably the oldest surviving vocal Catherine White harp tradition. Passed down orally through Subhanu Saxena, Dr Nanda Kumar chanters generations of performers and scholars, these Holst Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, ancient hymns are performed today as they

Group 3 13' FRIDAY were at the end of the Bronze Age. This talk Sally Lamb McCune Common be our is an introduction to the Vedas by Subhanu Prayer (premiere) 2' Saxena, a leading philosopher of the Vedas Anna R Matthews Asvins 4' and eminent exponent of Vedic chanting. 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 £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 29 SATURDAY 3 AUGUST the Three Choirs Festival the and Vaughan brings together two contrastingworks imbued with a sense adventure of and from its firstnotes a conjures of vision the mighty power the of sea. Vaughan announces itself with a brass fanfare and panoramic horizons and brave voyage. Broderick supported Joanna by Brickell; Roderick Williams supported by PamelaWhite Supported by The by Supported American Friends of Williams Charitable Trust; Katherine Williams’ strikingly original A Sea Symphony “Behold, the sea!” This nautical programme soprano

baritone Symphony No 1 No Symphony

conductor Cathedral

pm Songs the of Fleet 26'

(A Sea Symphony) 63' (A Sea Symphony)

Roderick Williams 7.45 – 9.457.45 Geraint Bowen Stanford Three Choirs Festival Chorus Roderick Williams Katherine Broderick Katherine Philharmonia Orchestra Philharmonia

Vaughan WilliamsVaughan

£55, £50, £32, £15 £55, £50, £25, A SEA SYMPHONY FRIDAY SATURDAY 31 pm am; St MarySt Crypt de pm nt 35 for more details. more for 35 Coach departs 10 returns by approx. 12.45 y Eve y l am – 12.30 £9 Travelling Tales Travelling Gloucester’s premier chamber choir premier Gloucester’s present a programme with a very local flavour as theycelebrate of work the and past composers Gloucestershire surroundings in the serene present idyllicof Painswick’s parish church. inSupported memory Helena of Oldacre and John Priday Fami 11.30 £10, £6 children £6 ages (ideal for 7+) £10, Members the of Dr K. Sextet tell stories from across the globe, narrated by the ensemble and accompanied with vivid music. See p

A £2.50 transactionA £2.50 fee applies to all ticket orders My CountyMy 5' Seven Partsongs Seven Three Shakespeare

. Historian Jim ’ St MarySt Lode de conductor Some CornerSome a of

piano

am takes a virtual tour around The Summer is Coming 8' Come, Sleep 3'

Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Selection from

K L Op. 17 10' Songs 7' Foreign Field 9' Set 1 15' Paradise Lost? Gloucestershire’s Anglo-Indian Connections Markland Gloucestershire to discover the evidence. Gurney Thomas Hewitt Jones Finzi WilliamsVaughan Howells David Bednall St Cecilia Singers: My County My Singers: Cecilia St am11 – 12.15 pm Mary'sSt Church, Painswick £25, £20 CeciliaSt Singers HarrisDerek Hope Jonathan Holst TA – 10.30 9.30 £12 (includes coffee pastries)and £12 Over many years an exceptionally strong link developed between parts Gloucestershireof and British India, Cheltenham being dubbed ʻCalcutta in the Dr K. Sextet

SATURDAY 3 AUGUST Last Train to Tomorrow Dr K Sextet: Storytelling 1.15 – 2.30 pm Cathedral 4 – 6 pm St Mary de Crypt £20, £15, £12, £10, £5 £17, U26 FREE Three Choirs Children’s Chorus Maxwell Davies Dances from the Two Gloucestershire Youth Players Fiddlers 9' Gloucestershire Youth Strings Sadie Harrison Bell Music for St Casimir 3' Nia Llewelyn Jones conductor Thomas Simaku My Beautiful Morea 5' Glyn Oxley conductor Kaija Saariaho Oi Kuu 6' Howard Skempton The Durham Strike 5' Holst St Paul’s Suite 15' Jeremy Thurlow Elephant of the Clouds 16' Carl Davis Last Train to Tomorrow 45' Thomas Albert movements from Thirteen Eighty years to the day since the last Ways 10' Kindertransport left Prague, this poignant Holst Maya; Spring Song; Greeting 10' piece reimagines the thoughts and feelings of Rolf Hind The Horse Sacrifice 20' the Jewish children fleeing persecution, Tales drawn from across the globe; stories the families they left behind, and the of struggle, turbulence and migration from open-hearted who took them dramatic, mythical and fantastical narratives in. This semi-staged performance is the through to the gentlest of lullabies. Storytelling culmination of a term working with children explores a wide variety of sound worlds (from from across Gloucestershire, and welcomes completely tonal to experimental) using back some of our young performers from the stories behind the music to explore this Hereford in 2018, plus participants from ‘The melding of cultures. Big String’ project run by Gloucester Academy of Music each February. Supported by Carolyn Pascall and

SATURDAY Safran Landing Systems

LeominsterKindertransport Priory

32 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 THE MYSTIC TRUMPETER

7.45 – 9.45 pm Cathedral We look heavenward for our final £55, £50, £32, £25, £15 performance, reviving David Matthews shimmering short cantata, Stars for its Ilona Domnich soprano first performance in almost half a century. Catherine Wyn-Rogers alto Holst’s distinctive musical style begins to Andrew Staples tenor emerge in this luxuriant early work, with a David Stout baritone list of influences that ranges from Wagner Three Choirs Festival Chorus to Walt Whitman, and even encompasses Philharmonia Orchestra Hindu philosophies. It ends with a serenely Adrian Partington conductor celestial expression of ʻJoy! Joy! All over joy!’, David Matthews Stars 5' echoing Beethoven’s epic Choral Symphony, Holst The Mystic Trumpeter 19' the powerful and uplifting climax of which Beethoven Symphony No 9 65' is known the world over. Supported by Safran Landing Systems and donors to the Tercentenary Appeal SATURDAY FAMILIES AND YOUNG PEOPLE Drama Workshop: Dance! Dance! Shakespearean Journeys Monday 29 July, 11.30 am – 12.15 pm Sunday 28 July, 10 – 11 am (ages 7 – 12) St Mary de Lode 11.30 am – 12.30 pm (ages 13 – 16) £5 adults, children FREE (ideal for babies, Old Bishop’s Palace Garden £6 toddlers and their siblings) A practical exploration of word and Join Lilliput violin duo Kate Skeet and movement in Shakespeare's plays. Join Kate Fawcett as they entertain with jigs, director Edward Derbyshire and actors reels, waltzes and tangos. Tunes from from Gloucestershire Youth Players for around the globe for tiny toes to tap to! 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

34 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 Tommy Foggo Superhero Drumming Workshop Monday 29 July, 2 – 3.15 pm Wednesday 31 July, 11.30 am – 12.15 pm Gloucester Guildhall Old Bishop’s Palace Garden £10, £8 children (ideal for ages 7+) £6 adults, children FREE (ideal for ages 6+) One day, Tommy Foggo runs away – Let off some steam with this high energy to the seaside, where he finds Destino, a drumming workshop led by Cheltenham talking cello with a mission. Will Tommy be College Head of Music David McKee, big enough to defeat the terrifying Kraken where you’ll learn some simple Samba of the Deep and rescue the Queen of Lost and African drumming. Atlantis? A magical multi-media tale of a life saved by music, based on a true story. 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 and narrator, Syrinx (music by Debussy) and The Two Fiddlers (music by Maxwell Davies) take us on a musical adventure.

Tommy Foggo

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 35 GET INVOLVED GET Whether you’re completely new to the Volunteer festival or want to get more involved, there There are many great ways to get are plenty of ways to explore the festival involved with the festival, and joining for free. our team of volunteers can be an exciting and rewarding way to get behind the Festival Firsts scenes. If you’re friendly, self-motivated If you’re a first-time festival-goer and and enthusiastic, find out more and live in Gloucestershire, you can apply register your interest at for a pair of best-available tickets to 3choirs.org/volunteer any concert for free! Please contact our friendly ticket office team for more Three Choirs Festival information and to choose your event. Youth Choir Cathedral Rehearsals If you’re a keen singer aged 14-25, why not join our Youth Choir for a chance to Want to see what happens in the perform Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man rehearsal process or just get more and a new piece by Giles Swayne on familiar with a piece you don't know? 30 July? There is no charge to participate, Dip into a cathedral rehearsal for free and you can find full details of what to and get a flavour of life behind the expect and how to apply at scenes at the festival. Full details of 3choirs.org/youth-choir 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 See p 12 © Ash Mills Madeleine Mitchell

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

TCF Youth Choir © Michael Whitefoot

36 General booking opens on 24 April: 3choirs.org 01452 768 928 BECOME A MEMBER

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: Roderick Williams Society President • 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.

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. A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 37 01452 768 928 © Ash Mills © Ash Mills Pre-concert Dining can book a two-courseYou sit-down dinner, served in the King’s School Dining Room, before each evening performance. Priced per £24 person, at all menus include a starter, dessert, a glass wine, of andSpecial coffee. tea or dietary requirements can be catered for, but please inform the ticket office atthe time booking. of Designer CraftsDesigner Exhibition Open daily pm 10 – 7.30 am The , Cotswold and Guilds CraftsmenWorcester of will be exhibiting Lower on College Green. the of Some finest craft artists in the region will be displaying works in ceramics, glass, wood, art silver, and textiles, offering opportunityan to browse and buy a unique piece throughout festival week. 3choirs.org pm pm pm 12 – 11.30 noon am10 – 7.30 12 – 8 noon

General booking opens 24 on April: 38 Open daily from 10 until am the start of the evening performance Ticket Office, Shop Ticket and Information The information the of hub festival site, you’ll find the ticket office,information point and in House, just shop Wardle theon edge the of Festival Village. Our friendly staff volunteers and on are hand to offer practicaladvice local and knowledge and can point in you the right direction. picking While you’re your up tickets, browse a range books, of CDs and other items to take as home a souvenir the of festival. As well as a range street of food and a fully-stocked festival the bar, Friends Gloucesterof Three Choirs Festival will serve a selection homemade cakes of and light refreshments daily. Bar Eating and Drinking Festival Village Festival The heart the of festival is in the Festival Village College on Green. Between concerts, wander through our exhibitions Herbert on Howells and organ building, al and enjoy fresco live music offered localby musicians and community groups and daily concerts from the bell Full tower. details will be our on from website early July. Street Food Cloister Garth Bar Pimm’s will be open hour from one before the evening concert, and in the interval Friends’ Café YOUR VISIT Pre-concert Dinner Menu For full menu details please go to 3choirs.org

Saturday 27 July, 5.30 pm Wednesday 31 July, 6 pm • Oven-baked salmon with a prawn • Rolled pork fillet with apple and bisque sauce sage compote • Quorn and red pepper tart with • Beetroot tarte tatin with wilted dressed rocket (v) spinach (v)

Sunday 28 July, 6 pm Thursday 1 August, 6 pm • Braised beef steak with a red wine • Salmon and herb fishcakes with and mushroom jus dressed herb salad • Wild mushroom and lentil ragu (v) • Butter bean and spinach fricassee with toasted croutons and herb oil (v) Monday 28 July, 6 pm • Stuffed turkey escalope with tomato Friday 2 August, 6 pm and herb sauce • Cod with crushed pea and mint • Butternut and spinach lasagne with • Stuffed flat field mushrooms with garlic bread shard (v) goats’ cheese and beetroot (v)

Tuesday 30 July, 6 pm Saturday 3 August, 6 pm • Pan-fried chicken fillet with • Butter poached chicken with cream redcurrant and mint jus and tarragon sauce • Sweet potato and coriander cakes topped • Cheddar cheese and leek pie topped with poached egg and cheese sauce (v) with puff pastry (v)

© Ash Mills © Ash Mills

A £2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 39 Coaches to outlying venues Gloucester City will collect from and return Full details of seating areas and venue accessibility to Westgate Street, outside the can be found online at 3choirs.org/your-visit Dick Whittington pub.

Gouda Way Street 3 Alvin Street

Pitt Street

St Maryʼs Street2 P 4 Blackdog Way

Park Street 1 9 Worcester Street Cathedral Cocks Lane London Road

Three

Lane Westgate Street

Bruton Way Hare

Northgate St College St St Aldate St Station Road

College Square Railway St Johnʼs Lane Westgate Street Station The Oxebode

Berkeley Street Bus Longsmith St Station Northgate Street 5 Bull Lane Cross Keys Ln A430 P Eastgate Street 8 6 P

P Station Road Russell St Blackfriars

Clarence Street Street Ladybellegate St Whitfield St Greyfriars 7 Southgate A4301 Bedford St

City Centre Further Afield 1 Gloucester Cathedral GL1 2LX Berkeley Castle GL13 9PF 2 Old Bishop’s Palace Garden GL1 2BD Cheltenham College GL53 7LD 3 St Mary de Lode GL1 2TB Cirencester Parish Church GL7 2NX 4 King's School Dining Room GL1 2BG Minsterworth Church GL1 8JJ 5 Gloucester Academy of Music GL1 2JF St Mary’s Church, Painswick GL6 6XH 6 Gloucester Guildhall GL1 1NS Tewkesbury Abbey GL20 5SR 7 St Mary de Crypt GL1 2DR 8 Llanthony Secunda Priory GL2 5FA 9 St Catharine’s Church GL2 0RR

40 Coaches to outlying venues Festival Village will collect from and return All times indicate minutes walking to Westgate Street, outside the Dick Whittington pub.

3

4 E4 Pitt E5 Street

St Mary’s 5 Square

6 7 King’s School 2 d Dining Hall a (3 mins) b c 1 E3 9 8

Rail and bus stations E1 (10 mins) 1 Festival bar, Friends café and Gloucester Guildhall street food (6 mins) Westgate E2 2 Guilds of Craftsmen St Mary de Crypt Street (6 mins) 3 St Mary de Lode 4 Old Bishop’s Palace Garden 5 ’s Kitchen Coffee Shop Festival Entrances 6 Pimm’s Bar Cathedral Entrances E1 College Street 7 Cathedral shop a West Door E2 St Michael’s Gate 8 Ticket office, b South Porch information point c Pilgrim Door E3 Cathedral Way and shop d Cloister Door E4 Pitt Street 9 Bandstand (queue here for Evensong) E5 St Mary’s Square

41 01452 768 928 If you book 11 or more events in events thebook more or 11 If you cathedral transaction, get in one you'll discount. a 10% Discount appliesacross all price bands, and free events count not do towards your total. Accessibility all welcome visitorsWe to the festival and will we be happy with to help access requirements wherever possible. A separate fact sheet is available, giving full details all to access of venues. contactPlease the ticket officeyou if have any requirements access and note that all not seats can be removed for wheelchairs. A very limited number carof parking spaces is available for drivers with badge, a blue which will be allocated a first on come, first served basis. detailedFor information, please visit 3choirs.org/your-visit Book and save! more Booking Fees and Dispatch Booking Fees bookingA £2.50 fee applies to each postage for plus 50p order, (alternatively, canyou collect your tickets the at festival printor them free home charge).at of should receive ticketsYou sent by post within two weeks placing of your order. Tickets that are collection held for for events inGloucester Cathedral will remain the at box office, whiletickets non-cathedralfor events willbe available theon the door of half venue an hour before the event.

3choirs.org pm pm R start time am – 4 am6 – am until the 10 10 10 evening concert from Monday 22 July, 22 from Monday July, 01452 768 928 3choirs.org General booking opens 24 on April: 42 Booking Opens Booking Gold Life and Members am,10 8 April Monday Members Standard am, April10 15 Monday Booking General am,10 Wednesday 24 April Monday 22Monday – How to bookHow Online: By Phone: am 10 4 pm – – Friday, Monday person: In House, CollegeWardle Green GL1 2L Thursday 25 July Friday 26 July Saturday 27 July – Saturday 3 August BOOKING INFORMATION Festival Firsts Souvenir Programme Book We’d love you to help us share the Three This beautifully-produced publication Choirs Festival experience with new contains full details of every concert people. When you complete your booking, programme alongside song texts, notes, you’ll be invited to donate to our fund articles and much more – a great memento which gives local people the chance to of your visit. Don’t forget to pre-order your attend the festival for the first time. We’d copy to secure a discounted rate of £15 like to suggest the cost of a single seat, but (£17 throughout the festival), and you can you’re welcome to give whatever you can. opt to receive an electronic preview copy Please consider sharing your love of the to browse before the festival. You can also festival and help grow our audiences. pre-order day programmes at a price of £5 (£6 throughout the festival).

£2.50 transaction fee applies to all ticket orders 43 Between Concerts?

While you’re here, why not find out what else Gloucester Cathedral has to offer? Enjoy a guided tour of the Cathedral and some of its hidden spaces Visit the Cathedral Gift Shop and The Monk’s Kitchen Explore the new Tribune Gallery exhibition

To see what’s on and for more information visit www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk Project2_Layout 1 04/02/2019 16:05 Page 1

‘A first class education going for a song’

CHORISTER SCHOLARSHIPS & BURSARIES DC Voice trials for boys aged between 6 and 10 D E A N Co-educational boarding and day school CLOSE Dean Close Preparatory School, Lansdown Rd, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 6QS TEWKESBURY ABBEY Tel: (01242) 258001 / www.deanclose.org.uk SCHOLA CANTORUM Seating Plans

You can view seating plans and select your own of the stage, but a TV relay system is in place seat for all reserved venues by booking online. for those seated in zones C, D and E. No audio Please note that zone B seats are likely to have enhancement is in place in any part of the small areas of the stage obscured. Seats in cathedral. Please pay attention to the door zone C will have a restricted view of the stage. indicated on your ticket as this will provide In the cathedral, zones D and E have no view the easiest route to your seat.

Gloucester Cathedral Key Zone

Stage Quire and A North South Presbytery, Pilgrim Door Transept unreserved Zone Organ Screen B Stage

Zone North South Nave Nave C

Zone South Porch D Tiered Tiered North Seats Seats Transept

Zone E West Door

St Catharine’s Church Pillar

Stage Screen Unreserved Unreserved

Entrance

45 Cirencester Parish Church Tewkesbury Abbey

Pulpit Lecturn Stage

Stage

Unre- served Unreserved Unreserved Unreserved Unreserved Nave

North Door

West Door

Minsterworth Church St Mary’s Church, Painswick

Unre- Stage Stage served North Nave South Nave

Stage Pilpit

South Nave Porch Main Entrance

Rear Nave

46 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 CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust ⋅ D G Albright Trust ⋅ Hawthorne Trust Foundations Honourable Company of Gloucestershire Charitable Trust Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust

Individual Robert and Sherill Atkins ⋅ Richard Arenschieldt ⋅ Mr and Mrs David Ball Supporters 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 William and Judith Armiger ⋅ Margaret Austen ⋅ Timothy and Elisabeth Brain Circle 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: [email protected] 01452 768 933 47 FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE Concert | Talk | Service | Family Event | Theatre | Other FRI 26 JUL (EVENING) MON 29 JUL TUE 30 JUL WED 31 JUL THU 1 AUG FRI 2 AUG SAT 3 AUG ● Seven Last Words ● Ivor Gurney ● Singing ● The Real ● Cheltenham ● Holst and ● Anglo- from the Cross ● Society for mental Bloody Mary College India Indian Outing health ● James Chapel ● Mendelssohn’s Connections Organ SAT 27 JUL SUN 28 JUL ● Lilliput Duo ● Elgar Society MacMillan in Octet ● St Cecilia Lecture Conversation Recital Singers ● Opening ● Drama ● Rodolfus ● And There ● Roderick Service Workshop Choir ● The Armed ● On Wenlock Grow ● Travelling Man Edge Williams Flowers Tales ● Festival Eucharist ● Drumming ● Arts and MORNING Workshop Crafts ● The Burning ● Antara Duo ● John Scott ● Much Ado ● Much Ado ● Society ● Llanthony ● Last Train to Boy ● Madeleine Whiteley About About Lunch Secunda Tomorrow ● Luke Jones Mitchell ● Tommy Nothing Nothing ● Indian Dance Priory Tour ● Dr K Sextet Recital ● Choral Foggo ● Joshua ● Cirencester Workshop ● Sanders ● Tewkesbury Evensong Superhero Ellicott Organ ● Bharatanatyam Society Lunch Abbey Organ ● Philharmonia ● 1919: The Recital Showcase ● The Glevum Recital Young Peace that ● Choral ● A Christmas Consort ● Hugh Musicians Never Was Evensong Oratorio ● Indian Classical AFTERNOON Recital Macdonald ● Choral ● Garden Party ● A History Music on Berlioz ● Choral Evensong of English ● The Rig Veda Evensong Song ● Vaughan Williams Society Talk ● The ● Verdi ● Rachmaninov ● An English ● Israel in ● Summer ● A Sea ● The Mystic Damnation Requiem Vespers Requiem Egypt Nights Symphony Trumpeter of Faust ● Hymnos ● Tango ● Mary’s Hand ● Papagena ● Lay Clerks ● Meditations

EVENING ● Alexander Stravinsky in Concert on the Rig Douglas Bach Veda