Category Archives: festivals

roundup of 2023

So we get to the end of 2023, and if it wasn’t one of the most vintage years it had some remarkable and unexpected highlights. And it included the 20th anniversary of this blog, which I’m afraid passed without comment … Continue reading

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Three Choirs 2023: the general view

Before I move on to actual concerts and services I’ll start with a few general impressions from Gloucester 2023, as compared with Gloucester 2016. The Festival Chorus was rather smaller this time, although I’d say it was at least as … Continue reading

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The Bath Festival Orchestra revives

Against all probability the scaled-down Bath Festival 2021 will feature for the first time in many years (I’d guess 40 years at least) an ensemble called the Bath Festival Orchestra. This has been refounded with a new remit for the … Continue reading

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a free ticket to the Festival

The Bath Festival 2019* rather passed me by, though I made the usual excursion to the opening-night gig in Green Park Station. But we did get some free tickets (courtesy of a member of Bath Cantata Group) to a midday … Continue reading

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review of the year – 2016

And what a year it was. I sang in the Three Choirs Festival Chorus. I sang lots of choral masterpieces (and Carmina Burana) for the first time. I made my débuts in several new venues, sang before a member of … Continue reading

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Two festivals merge

The Bath International Music Festival is to merge with the Bath Literature Festival into a single festival that will run for 10 days in May 2017 and 17 days in subsequent years, with a greater rôle for jazz. This can … Continue reading

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Three Choirs: the summing up

So now looking back at the whole enterprise – was it worth while?  Definitely.  From what I’ve heard it sounded like I picked a particularly vintage year in which to be involved.   The BBC really missed something by not … Continue reading

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the Festival Choir on the road

Most of the Three Choirs Festival rehearsals are on home territory in Gloucester, but there are a couple of away fixtures at the other two cities.  First up was Worcester, which I had to drive all the way to as … Continue reading

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an organist’s wedding and two Festival concerts

There was just too much going on on May 21st. I had been due to sing a concert in Reading but asked to be released from it when I realised there were enough sopranos and some unrepeatable events going on … Continue reading

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The adventure begins

At last – some eight months after I auditioned – the rehearsals for the Three Choirs Festival Chorus are starting. Easily the biggest single choral undertaking I’ve ever been involved in. I have cleared my diary, bashed as many notes … Continue reading

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