Three Choirs Festival

Gloucestershire-born composer Gavin Higgins (b.1983) is our fourth featured composer profile for the Gloucester 2023 festival.

Born in the Forest of Dean, local composer Gavin Higgins gained international acclaim with his compositions for the BBC Proms, including his Der Aufstand (2012), Velocity (which opened the Last night of the Proms 2014) and most recently Rough Voices (2020).

In 2020, Higgins was appointed Composer in Association for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and has won an Ivor Novello Composer Award in the orchestral category for his trombone concerto, Book of Miracles in 2019.

This year, Higgins' The Faerie Bride will be performed at the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, with baritone Roderick Williams, conducted by Martin Brabbins.

For a taste of Higgins' work, the below is a recording of his What Wild Ecstasy performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.