Three Choirs Festival

As well as gearing up for this year's Three Choirs Festival, our Associate Composer Gavin Higgins has been travelling across the world for premieres, recordings and rehearsals of his music.

New Recording: Concerto Grosso

If you're looking to hear more from Gavin, you can look forward to a major new release with Lyrita. This upcoming record includes a recording of his 2022 Proms phenomena, the Concerto Grosso for Brass Band and Orchestra, featuring the world-renowned Tredegar Town Band. The album, which also includes Cortege for a Coal Mine, is set to capture the raw energy of these unique collaborations and is scheduled for release later this year.

Americana in Amarillo

Gavin recently returned from the United States following the successful world premiere of Fanfare Americana. Commissioned by the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, the work was premiered in January under the baton of George Jackson.

Higgins describes the piece as a celebration of the American 'can-do' spirit, filtered through his own British perspective. The fanfare will receive its UK premiere this summer, opening the 2026 Three Choirs Festival.

Australian Debut: The Book of Miracles

Higgins’ international tour continued in Australia, where he has been overseeing rehearsals for the Australian premiere of his trombone concerto, The Book of Miracles. Inspired by a 16th-century German manuscript of celestial and apocalyptic imagery, the work will be performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra with soloist Jörgen van Rijen in Brisbane this April. The piece, which previously won an Ivor Novello Award, continues to captivate audiences with its "fantastical and chimerical" textures.

A Homecoming at Three Choirs Festival

Gavin's new Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis has been written, published and is now in rehearsal for this year's performance at Gloucester 2026. We're excited to hear the premiere of this tremendous new work on July 29, 2026, by the combined choirs of Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester Cathedrals. This service will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, so you can catch it from afar.

New Releases with Nimbus Music Publishing

Nimbus Music Publishing has been busy releasing and finalizing a series of scores that span Gavin’s diverse output. From major orchestral study scores like The Book of Miracles to more intimate works such as Sedimentary (for tenor, cello, and piano) and Ekstasis (for string sextet).

You can browse Gavin's published scores here.

We'd like to thank the LG Harris Trust for supporting the Associate Composer programme.