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The Three Choirs Festival

The Three Choirs Festival


4 days
from £££949pp

2025 Jul


2025 sees the beautiful cathedral city of Hereford play host to the Three Choirs Festival, a delightful programme of choral and orchestral concerts, cathedral services, solo and chamber music recitals. It is the oldest non-competitive classical music festival in the world, having celebrated its 300th anniversary back in 2015. A handpicked selection of concerts (including the exciting cantata of This Worlde's Joie), offers an inspiring addition to our weekend itinerary, which also features visits to the birthplace museums of two of the country's greatest composers, Edward Elgar and Gustav Holst.

Highlights

  • 3 nights at the Angel Hotel, Abergavenny (JG4 rating) with dinner & breakfast
  • Porterage where available
  • Welcome drink
  • After-dinner tea & coffee at the hotel
  • Coach transfers to & from excursions
  • Visits to Mappa Mundi at Hereford Cathedral, The Firs: Elgar's Birthplace & Holst Birthplace Museum
  • Seated tickets to three concerts at the Three Choirs Festival (includes This Worlde's Joie & The Black Lake)
  • Scenic drive through Elgar's Worcestershire
  • Private guided tour at Holst's Birthplace Museum
  • Free time in Abergavenny
  • Accompanied by a friendly tour manager throughout

Please inform us at the time of booking of any special dietary requirements.

Please note: the order of excursions is subject to change and guided tours are subject to restrictions.


Itinerary

This morning we journey to the beautiful Hereford Cathedral for the opening concert of the 2025 Three Choirs Festival - time to sit back and savour some fine choral music. Afterwards, we take a look at the famous Mappa Mundi, the largest surviving medieval map of the world and adorned with over 500 drawings of cities, towns, Biblical happenings, plants, people, animals and more. Housed in the cathedral, it offers a remarkable window to the 13th century, as it immortalises how the scholars of the day interpreted the world both geographically and spiritually, with Jerusalem at the map’s centre.

We then head back to our hotel for some free time, or you may like to spend a few hours exploring our hotel's location, the charming market town of Abergavenny. After an early dinner we return to Hereford Cathedral for our evening concert of This Worlde's Joie.

Today begins with a scenic drive through Worcestershire, the home county of the great composer, Edward Elgar. With sweeping views and pretty villages, it’s easy to see why walking and cycling through the beautiful surroundings inspired his music. We also include a panoramic tour of historic Worcester.

Our first stop is The Firs: Elgar's Birthplace. This delightful little cottage is entirely dedicated to Elgar’s fascinating life, musical career and iconic works, which continue to dazzle audiences worldwide and include Land of Hope and Glory, Enigma Variations and Pomp and Circumstance. From an early age, Elgar was fascinated with making music and taught himself composition (with a little help from his father who was the organist at Worcester Cathedral). He also led piano and violin lessons from Great Malvern’s piano shop, now home to the town’s Post Office.

Continuing our theme of iconic composers, we then head to Holst's Birthplace Museum in Regency Cheltenham, a wonderful Victorian-Edwardian family home lovingly restored to offer a fascinating insight into the life and work of Gustav Holst. Best known for his orchestral suite The Planets, Holst believed passionately that music should be accessible to everyone. We find out more during our private guided tour.

Afterwards, we head back to our hotel for an early dinner and to change for our evening concert of The Black Lake at Hereford Cathedral – a wonderful end to our delightful itinerary.


Accommodation

Housed in a former coaching inn, the Angel Hotel is located in the centre of Abergavenny, a charming market town near the Welsh/English border. With a warm and welcoming atmosphere, the hotel offers a cosy bar, award-winning restaurant with a courtyard terrace and elegant bedrooms with a flat-screen TV, bathrobes, complimentary toiletries and free Wi-Fi.

Hotel Rating

Accommodation in our JG4 category is of an even higher standard, typically offering a wide range of facilities and services. Bedrooms are designed to make your stay the most comfortable possible and the staff provide a service that reflects the detail and quality. You can also expect higher standards of food and beverages.


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