The Three Choirs Festival has announced a new programme for its 2024 edition, with a celebration of nature and its enduring influence on composers and musicians at its heart.

Taking place in and around Worcester from 27 July to 3 August, the festival features a superb selection of works old and new by composers including Edward Elgar, Gustav Holst, Bob Chilcott and Judith Weir.

Highlights of this year’s festival include Elgar’s epic The Kingdom, Holst’s exotic masterpiece The Cloud Messenger, and Bob Chilcott’s thought-provoking The Angry Planet, with performances from the Three Choirs Festival Chorus, the Festival Youth Choir, Festival Voices, Three Cathedral Choirs, the world-renowned BBC Singers, and orchestra-in-residence the Philharmonia.

There will also be smaller, more intimate concerts, including laid back late-nights, daytime song and instrumental recitals, and a lively programme of family events, as the festival welcomes an exciting range of soloists and performers including Anna Lapwood, Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Robert Plane, Francesca Chiejina, Jocelyn Freeman and Toby Spence.

The festival marks Holst’s 150th anniversary, the 100th anniversary of Stanford’s death, and the 70th birthdays of Judith Weir and the late Steve Martland, as well as featuring a range of new music, such as the UK premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered and festival commissions from Nathan James Dearden, Paul Mealor and Luke Lewis.

Chief Executive Alexis Paterson said: "It’s been a joy working with Sam on this year’s programme, with his clear vision to celebrate the natural world and the wonders of our planet through some truly beautiful and, at times, thought-provoking music.

We can’t wait to welcome everyone to the festival this summer. There really is so much to discover, whether you’re a seasoned concert-goer looking for world-class performances, a family wanting to enjoy music together in a fun-filled family event, or eager for something a little different in our late-night series."

Artistic Director Samuel Hudson said: "It is always an exciting moment when a festival programme is unveiled, and this year is no exception. I am very much looking forward to the 2024 Three Choirs Festival in Worcester, and to a programme filled with breadth and variety, while rooted firmly in the rich tradition which the festival rightly holds so dear. I hope the festival programme will attract many people from far and wide to Worcester this summer."

Booking for the 2024 Three Choirs Festival opens in April and full programme details can be found at 3choirs.org.

Photo credit: James O'Driscoll