Returning to Gloucester for an eight-day celebration of world-class music, Three Choirs Festival has revealed its programme for 2026 and it's packed with standout highlights.
Taking place from Saturday 25 July until Saturday 1 August 2026, this year's programme blends history and legacy with the most exciting contemporary choral music of today.
A landmark moment for Gloucester Cathedral, the event will be the first major festival for its newly refurbished organ, due to be completed in summer. Simultaneously the oldest and newest organ in the country, it takes centre stage for a variety of performances, including Poulenc's Organ Concerto, Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass, the Celebrity Organ Recital by Thomas Ospital, and a screening of The Phantom of the Opera with live organ improvisation.
Organ music features prominently at other venues, too, as the next generation of players from the Royal College of Organists showcase their talents.
The Elgar Society celebrates its 75th year in 2026 and Three Choirs Festival audiences can enjoy some of his most beloved works, including the First Symphony, Sea Pictures, Cockaigne and his choral masterpiece The Dream of Gerontius, which provides an emotional close to this year's event. Plus, there's the launch of new book, The Importance of Elgar, featuring contributions from over 60 composers, conductors and performers, including Three Choirs Festival's own artistic director for Gloucester.
There are large-scale performances of Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Monteverdi’s Vespers, and Rachmaninov’s Vespers from the festival's choirs, resident orchestra the Philharmonia Orchestra and visiting ensembles including Sydney’s Philharmonia Choirs, La Serenissima, and Ex Cathedra.
Gloucester-born composer and the festival's inaugural associate composer, Gavin Higgins, premieres a brand-new setting of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, being broadcast live on BBC Radio 3; while vocal ensemble VOCES8 blend jazz, pop and choral music in a crossover concert.
The lineup also features an array of Gloucestershire musicians and ensembles, including honorary patron and audience favourite, Roderick Williams, the St Cecilia Singers, and the Oriel Singers, with the bandstand also providing a stage for local community groups to show off their talents.
For drama fans, there are performances of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors in The King's School gardens and Macbeth in the Chapter House, accompanied by live music.
Audiences are very much encouraged to participate, too, with interactive Come and Sing workshops and guided walks so visitors can learn all about Gloucester's Roman, Saxon and monastic history.
Three Choirs Festival chief executive, David Francis, said: 'The 2026 festival reflects everything that makes Three Choirs unique. The richness of the choral tradition, the excitement of new music, and the extraordinary sense of community that brings performers and audiences together each year.
'The debut of Gloucester Cathedral’s new organ, alongside the return of Elgar’s greatest works, makes this a particularly special year.'
Gloucester's artistic director, Adrian Partington, added: 'The vision of the festival is to enrich lives through the power of choral music and to bring people together through shared, inspirational experiences. I have created a programme which allows all parts of our community to come together across eight days in one of Europe’s great buildings...'.
'I can’t think of another festival which has such a clear focus on great choral masterpieces, and I am proud that the Gloucester 2026 Festival is showcasing an array of these exceptional works.'
Tickets for Three Choirs Festival 2026 go on general sale on Monday 13 April 2026.
To see the full 2026 programme and to book tickets, visit 3choirs.org.
