ourney is an inevitable part of life. Some journeys we think nothing of, some we don’t even notice, JOIN US THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL but others are so significant and transformative The Three Choirs Festival is a week-long programme of J that they shape our lives and our history. choral and orchestral concerts, chamber recitals, talks and W O R C E S T E R 2020 workshops, rotating each summer between the beautiful I’m thrilled my journey has brought me to Worcester, cathedral cities of Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester. and it is my pleasure to introduce my first Three Choirs 25 JULY – 1 AUGUST Festival programme. In 2020 the theme of voyage will be Friday 20 March 2020: Full programme announced online strong, not least as we mark the 400th anniversary of the Monday 6 April: Booking opens for Gold Members Festival Preview Mayflower’s journey from England to the USA in 1620, Wednesday 15 April: Booking opens for Standard Members 3choirs.org taking the opportunity to feature music by American Wednesday 22 April: General booking opens composers Nico Muhly, Stephen Paulus, and Aaron Our Ticket Office is open for all enquiries Monday – Friday, Copland, as well as John Adams’ electrifying Short Ride 10 am – 4 pm, throughout the year on 01452 768 928, in a Fast Machine – be sure to fasten your seatbelts! or book online at 3choirs.org Delving into perhaps unfamiliar territory (just like Secure your tickets before general booking opens and the best explorers!) we roam the eastern Mediterranean get access to exclusive events by becoming a member. in Armstrong Gibbs’ Choral Symphony Odysseus, You’ll also receive our quarterly magazine! Visit contemplate the journey of the soul in Hora Novissima 3choirs.org/membership for more info. by Horatio Parker (the first American composer to feature at Three Choirs, in Worcester 1899), and fly into space Love Singing? with Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds in The Pleiades. Whatever your age and experience, we’ve got loads of Back on more familiar territory, Vaughan Williams’ ways to get involved. Whether singing in our fantastic Songs of Travel will feature on our last night, and Elgar’s festival chorus, joining our youth choir, or volunteering, autobiographical journey The Music Makers on the first. go to 3choirs.org/take-part to find out more. I’m delighted that the festival will include a major Support Us commission by leading composer Gabriel Jackson, The festival could not take place without the generous alongside still more highlights – our Three Cathedral support of individuals, companies, trusts and foundations. Choirs will present music by Bach and Buxtehude, and To find out more about supporting our work, please contact we’ll hear music by Beethoven in his 250th anniversary our Fundraiser Nicola Lawson on 01452 768933 or year. Furthermore, a Jonathan Dove premiere especially [email protected] for young listeners will inspire outreach and education work leading up to the festival, in partnership with the Philharmonia, our outstanding orchestra-in-residence. Elsewhere, we’ve got a stellar cast of visiting ensembles, a wonderfully varied late-night series, and a soupçon of French colour marking organist Louis Vierne’s 150th birthday. I hope you’ll find plenty of reasons © Ash Mills to travel to the Three Choirs Festival in Worcester 2020. What a journey it will be – Supporters you will be very welcome to join us on our voyage! Three Choirs Festival Association Ltd, 7c College Green, Gloucester Samuel Hudson GL1 2LX. Registered charity number 204609. Artistic Director © Michael Whitefoot @3choirs 3ChoirsFestival @3choirsfestival THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL WORCESTER 25 JULY – 1 AUGUST 2020 EARLY MORNING AFTERNOON CATHEDRAL EVENINGS LATE CONCERTS Festival Opening Service National Youth String Orchestra in Tewkesbury Abbey. Copland Fanfare for the Common Man FESTIVAL Programme to include Howells Concerto for String Nico Muhly Senex puerum portabat AND Orchestra and Beethoven Grosse Fugue Stephen Paulus Sea Portraits LATES SAT 25 July25 EVENTS Elgar The Music Makers INCLUDE: FOR Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Samuel Hudson (c) Fenella FAMILIES Humphreys ALL WEEK: Festival Eucharist: Elgar Enigma Variations playing Paganini Vierne Messe solennelle Parker Hora Novissima and other solo Including the Anita Watson, violin caprices 26 July world premiere SUN Catherine Carby, Ed Lyon, of Jonathan David Stout, Geraint Bowen (c) Poet Nicola Dove, author Anita Watson Elias Quartet Harrison and her Zeb Soanes and Celebrity Organ Recital: David Briggs plays Vierne, Robert Plane and the Elias Quartet: Gabrieli Consort and Players band in epic poem illustrator James his own ‘Variations on the A Train’ and an improvised Howells Rhapsodic Quintet conducted by The Becoming Mayhew’s first Beethoven String Quartet No 11, ‘Serioso’ symphony with themes from the audience. Paul McCreesh present Lay Clerks 27 July live concert Bliss Clarinet Quintet Purcell’s King Arthur MON in Concert adventure for Gaspard the Fox Fenella Humphreys The Basin Street with orchestra- Roderick Williams, Adrian Partington (c) and the “Beethoven, Wordsworth and the French Revolution” Dobrinka Tabakova Centuries of Meditations Brawlers and in-residence, the Philharmonia Chamber Players tell the tale of the Spanish with David Owen Norris, Zeb Soanes, and the John Rutter Visions choir in a night Philharmonia Conquest’s voyage to South America in Colin Matthews’ Jupiter Ensemble Britten Saint Nicolas of spirituals TUE 28 July The Great Journey Beethoven Violin Sonatas and contemporary Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir, Worcester and Gloucester and jazz Girl Choristers, Joshua Ellicott, Geraint Bowen (c) reflections from Daniel Tong and Krysia Osostowicz Early music soprano duo English Symphony Orchestra Double Bill: The Orlando Consort sing music from the lifetime Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture BREAKFAST Fair Oriana Philip Sawyers Mayflower on the Seas of Time of Joan of Arc to accompany Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Copland Appalachian Spring TALKS stunning 1928 silent film La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc Gibbs Odysseus Beethoven Symphony No 7 29 July INCLUDE: WED Ruby Hughes, Njabulo Madlala, Adrian Partington (c) James Francis Brown Symphony (premiere) The art of reconstructing forgotten scores The Linarol Consort of Viols and Vocal ensemble The Marian Consort: Beethoven Egmont Overture James Gilchrist present music Scarlatti Stabat Mater Howells Cello Concerto Louis Vierne and from the court of Maximilian in Dani Howard new work (premiere) Elgar Symphony No 3 30 July blind musicians THU “Will niemand singen?” Gabriel Jackson Stabat Mater Guy Johnston, Anna-Maria Helsing (c) Worcester’s Mayflower Three Cathedral Choirs of John Adams connections Matthew Schellhorn The Short Ride in a Fast Machine gives a recital of recently Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester: Ēriks Ešenvalds The Pleiades The English discovered piano works Bach Magnificat Gabriel Jackson Festival Commission (premiere) FRI 31 July Choral tradition by Howells. Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri David Stout Nick Pritchard, David Hill (c) in America Marta Fontanals-Simmons © Benjamin © Victoria Cadisch Ealovega National Youth Choir of Great Britain sing Tallis’ Ireland A London Overture ORCHESTRA-IN-RESIDENCE Spem in Alium and music by Mathias, Roxanna Panufnik, Beethoven Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Kerry Andrew, James MacMillan, Ēriks Ešenvalds and Vaughan Williams Songs of Travel SAT John Casken. Walton Belshazzar’s Feast 1 August Božidar Smiljanić, Samuel Hudson (c) All details, programmes and artists are correct at time of going to press but may be subject to alteration. Guy Johnston.