Three Choirs Festival 2023

We were the first brass band to perform in the main part of the festival in over 40 years, and what an experience it was. 

To perform in our home city of Gloucester at such a prestigious event was a true privilege, and we were extremely proud to be a ‘Featured Ensemble,’ alongside ensembles such as The Philharmonia, The BBC National Orchestra of Wales and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The whole band are extremely grateful to Festival Director, Alexis Patterson, for her enthusiasm for the band, and her desire to feature us so prominently in the festival, widely known as one of the premier classical music festivals in the UK.

Gloucester Cathedral - 29th July, 2023

22nd July - Opening Procession and Service

The band met early in the morning and played a short slot at Kyneburgh Tower before leading the procession through to the Cathedral, playing a mix of marches and hymn tunes along the way.

Flowers Band - 22nd July, 2023

Then, a dectet from the band performed with the festival choir in the opening service, conducted by Adrian Partington. The group played Fanfare for Three Choirs 250th Anniversary, 1977 composed by Herbert Howells, which led into Elgar’s setting of The National Anthem. Other repertoire in the set included Vaughan Williams O Clap Your Hands. We have to say a massive thank you to Huw, our 3rd cornet player, who rearranged all of the parts for the service as the music was originally written for an orchestral dectet with French Horns, Trumpets in C and Trombones in bass clef.

Following this, the band reassembled outside on the cathedral precinct, and we performed a short slot on the festival bandstand, braving the challenging weather conditions to some very committed supporters!

Flowers Dectet and Three Choirs Festival Choir - 22nd July, 2023

23rd July - Magic and Mischief

We had a great time with artist and storyteller James Mayhew, creating Magic and Mischief together at The Bacon Theatre in Cheltenham for our family friendly concert. The paintings created were spectacular, and the audience extremely receptive.

Paintings created live in concert by James Mayhew - 23rd July, 2023

It was wonderful to work with Guest Conductor Jayne Murrill, who led us through a descriptive programme of Rimmer’s arrangement of Scheherazade, Howarth’s setting of Baba Yaga and The Great Gate of Kiev, Bourgeois’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Farr’s The Firebird Suite.

Flowers Band in Rehearsal - 23rd July, 2023

29th July - Fanfares and Love Songs

The final day of Three Choirs Festival and what a way to end.

It was a true privilege to perform to over 500 people in the phenomenal acoustic of Gloucester Cathedral, and it was great to receive amazing feedback from people as far afield as Maine and Iowa!

Opening the programme with Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s Home of Legends, the band immediately made an impression on the audience, with Luke Barker, our principal cornet, performing the off stage fanfare. Luke is now back in the UK full time following his studies abroad in Switzerland and Spain, and it has been amazing to have him back with us.

Flowers Band Cornet Section - 29th July, 2023

This was followed by Vaughan Williams’ English Folk Songs Suite. His career has been closely identified with the festival since the early 20th Century, with several of his works being premiered at the festival. The piece may be most performed in Wind Band’s, Denis Wright’s wonderful arrangement suited the occasion perfectly.

Next was Jan van der Roost’s Canterbury Chorale, and although it may refer to a different cathedral, but it felt at home amongst the grandeur of the famed stained glass windows of Gloucester Cathedral.

To close the first half came the first of the major works we performed, John McCabe’s Cloudcatcher Fells. The piece portrays the striking scenery of the Patterdale area of the Lake District and is a true masterpiece of the brass band repertoire. In stunning in the surroundings of the cathedral the piece came to life, the quietest passages felt truly special and serene, and the thunderous ‘Helvellyn’ reverberated around the Cathedral in an awe-inspiring way. Lauren Chinn on Flugel and Emily Evans, Lara Shaw and Clare Smith on Tenor Horn deserve special mention in this piece, with some fiendishly difficult quiet playing which they executed beautifully.

The band were touched to receive a lovely message from John’s widow, Monica, who sent us her best wishes and expressed her delight at having the piece included in our programme.

Flowers Band - 29th July, 2023

To open the second half of the concert, we featured local composer Gavin Higgins’ ‘Fanfares and Love Songs’, which was the title of our concert today. The piece in 3 movements made for an impressive start, with the opening fanfare echoing around the cathedral.  The more mellow middle movement again showcased Luke’s signature sound, and it was lovely to see some of Gavin’s family in the audience, as he wasn’t able to attend.

Following this, the band went into Nimrod, from Elgar’s Enigma Variations, arranged by Denis Wright.  Like Vaughan Williams, Elgar has a long history with Three Choirs Festival, and premiered several works at the festival, so programming his work felt natural.

The final of the major works featured in our programme was Tide and Time, a major work written by local composer Dr Liz Lane. The piece is deeply personal to Liz, as it relates to several pieces of art created by members of her family, all with a connection to water. The number ‘3’ also features prominently throughout, as one of her ancestors was a follower of Rosicrucianism, of which ‘3’ is an integral part. The stunning acoustic really brought this evocative piece to life, and having the composer present for this performance was wonderful for the band. Special mention must go to Luke Barker on Principal Cornet, Paul Richards on Soprano Cornet and Matt Rowe on Solo Euphonium for their solo contributions.

Dr Liz Lane - 29th July, 2023

To bring the concert to a close, we chose ‘Pomp and Circumstance No 1’. Again, by Elgar, it felt an appropriate way to close what had been a true musical journey, showcasing music by local composers, and underappreciated gems of the brass band repertoire.

A comment we received from several audience members was, “I didn’t know that a brass band could do a concert like this.” To be able to showcase the talent that the banding movement has, and the versatility of repertoire and performance that bands are capable of was a wonderful opportunity for the band, and again, we are so grateful to Three Choirs Festival for providing the platform to do so.

We must say a huge thank you to our guest conductor for this performance, Michael Fowles, for his fantastic leadership through what was undoubtedly a tough programme.

Flowers Band and Michael Fowles - 29th July, 2023

The band will now take a short break for summer, before returning to prepare for our appearance at The British Open and the Autumn season of concerts.

To check out our engagements leading up to the end of the year, check out our ‘Engagements’ page for more information, or click the button below!