What do you think is special about Worcester Three Choirs Festival?

The Three Choirs Festival is an amazing part of our local culture and its history of 300 years or so says something special about our regional culture and heritage. For me it is an important part of my life and work and I hope that this year's programme will live up to expectations.

How did you first get involved in Worcester Three Choirs Festival?

I've been in Worcester since 1996 when I moved to my post as Organist of Worcester Cathedral. The Three Choirs job has been linked to the Cathedral since it was first started as the roots of the Festival were all tied up with the three Cathedral Choirs of Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford. My first visit to the Festival was back in 1978, 30 years ago, when I attended as a student and heard for the first time such masterpieces as Bach's St Matthew Passion and Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since then!

The opening concert of my first festival featured music from Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts and it was quite a shock to the system. Although there were a few die-hards who stayed away, those that came found it an extraordinary and very beautiful experience. There have been plenty more since, but every festival is packed with so much good music, it is hard to decide which is better.

What benefits do you think you have gained from working with the Three Choirs?

I've been very lucky to work with some of the best orchestras and soloists from a truly international platform. Although every performance is a tough challenge, especially when the concerts in festival week are so tightly packed together, it is a wonderful opportunity to bring performances of this standard to a huge audience in the setting of such a beautiful and historic building. The Three Choirs Festival has an inspiring history and tradition. How has that history translated into the modern Three Choirs Festival experience? The history of the Festival is both an inspiration and a challenge. We hold an enviable record of commissioning new works and continue to champion the cause of English music. Elgar's ghost still looms large over the whole institution and that is no bad thing. We do have to continue to innovate, however, and this must include enthusing younger audiences to experience the all-consuming sound of a concert for full symphony orchestra and chorus. There is a broader sweep of musical styles to explore and cathedrals are much more willing to allow this to happen than, say, 30 years ago.

What would you say to people who have never attended a Three Choirs Festival?

If you have yet to discover classical music, then use the Film Music concert at the end of the week to "dip a toe in the water". There will be plenty of familiar tunes!! There's also plenty of drama, jazz and educational events around the main programme to explore. If you are more familiar with the repertoire but have yet to attend, why not try Monday night's concert which includes Tchaikovsky's pot-boiler Romeo and Juliet and Elgar's newly completed Pomp and Circumstance March No.6....

What are the highlights of the Worcester Three Choirs Festival 2008 for you?

I'm greatly looking forward to conducting Andrew Gant's new Symphony (based on English folksong melodies), as well as more traditional elemts like the Cathedral Choirs and the Academy of Ancient Music performing Bach's Christmas Oratorio, though in August that will have a really unusual atmosphere!!