Forming strong partnerships and creating historic performances

At the Three Choirs Festival, we believe that the strongest artistic outcomes grow from deep, lasting relationships. Our Associate Composer scheme is a three-year residency programme that brings living composers into the very fabric of the festival.

The Programme at a Glance:

• A Growing Cohort: A new composer is appointed annually, building to a residency of three composers working alongside one another.
• Creative Immersion: Over three years, associates contribute to the festival’s artistic life and connect personally with our audiences.
• Major Commissions: Each residency culminates in a landmark choral-orchestral premiere.

Our first Associate Composer is the acclaimed Gavin Higgins. Returning to his birthplace of Gloucester, Gavin will premiere a new setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis at the 2026 Festival, performed by the combined choirs of Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester.

About Gavin Higgins

Gavin Higgins is one of the UK’s most exciting compositional voices. Renowned for his "boldly imaginative" style, he has received two Ivor Novello Awards and an RPS Award. Gavin’s prestigious career includes four BBC Proms commissions and a residency with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

"I am absolutely thrilled to be announced as the Three Choirs Festival inaugural Associate Composer. I was born in Gloucester and grew up in the area and so the chance to come back home and share my music with the amazing audiences Three Choirs attracts feels very special indeed. I'm looking forward immensely to immersing myself within the festival, and introducing some old and new works to audiences over the coming years. I can't wait to get stuck in - it's going to be very exciting!”

- Gavin Higgins on his appointment as the inaugural Associate Composer