Three Choirs Weekend In Elgar’S Worcestershire

Itinerary

Description

The glorious county of Worcestershire, Edward Elgar’s Land of Hope and Glory, plays host to the Three Choirs Festival in 2024, a programme of choral and orchestral concerts, cathedral services and chamber music recitals. It is the oldest non-competitive classical music festival in the world, having celebrated its 300^th anniversary back in 2015. A handpicked selection of concerts offers an entertaining addition to our weekend itinerary which also features visits to some fascinating locations, including Elgar’s Birthplace Museum.

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• 3 nights at the Worcester Bank House Hotel & Spa, Worcester (JG4 rating) with dinner & breakfast
• Visits to Malvern, Elgar’s Birthplace Museum & Bishop Percy’s House
• Guided coach tour of Elgar’s Malvern
• Heritage train journey on the Severn Valley Railway
• Afternoon tea at Bishop Percy’s House
• Selected tickets to two concerts at the Three Choirs Festival
• Accompanied by a friendly tour manager throughout

JG4

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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Self Drive Itinerary

Excursion One – Elgar’s Malvern, Elgar’s Birthplace Museum & Evening Concert at Worcester Cathedral

We begin with a guided coach tour of Malvern, a spa town nestled in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at the foot of the stunning Malvern Hills. This is the birthplace of one of the country’s greatest composers, Edward Elgar, and it’s easy to see why walking and cycling through the beautiful surroundings inspired his music. We enjoy the splendour of this landscape on our coach tour, with its sweeping views, pretty villages and locations connected to Elgar, including beloved former homes and St Wulstan’s Church, where he is buried alongside his wife Alice.

Our next stop is the delightful little cottage 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.

We head back to our hotel to change for our evening concert – time to sit back and savour some fine choral music in thebeautifulcathedral. We can expectCecilia McDowall’s Shipping Forecast, the premiere of Stanford/Jeremy Dibble’s Sonata for String Orchestra and
Ian Venables’s Requiem performed by the Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir.


Excursion Two – Severn Valley Railway, Bishop Percy’s House & Evening Concert at Worcester Cathedral

This morning we take a charming trip on the heritage Severn Valley Railway from Kidderminster to the ancient riverside town of Bridgnorth. The train meanders its way along the picturesque Severn Valley, passing sleepy towns and villages along the way.

Upon arrival we take a leisurely stroll through Bridgnorth to the Grade I listed Bishop Percy’s House for afternoon tea. Using oak posts and beams from old vessels, it was built in 1580 by a wealthy shipping merchant and was one of the few properties which survived the extensive fire in 1646 during the Civil War. This charming black and white timber-framed house was also the birthplace of Thomas Percy, the Bishop of Dromore and Royal Chaplain to George III.

Later we take the return steam train trip and head to the hotel to change for the evening’s concert. We look forward to an inspiring choral concert in the cathedral, featuring Elgar’s The Kingdom performed by the Three Choirs Festival Chorus, a fitting finale to our weekend.

Self Drive Bullets

• 3 nights at the Worcester Bank House Hotel & Spa, Worcester (JG4 rating) with dinner & breakfast
• Porterage where available
• Welcome drink
• After-dinner tea & coffee at the hotel
• Coach transfers to & from excursions
• Visits to Malvern, Elgar’s Birthplace Museum & Bishop Percy’s House
• Guided coach tour of Elgar’s Malvern
• Heritage train journey on the Severn Valley Railway
• Afternoon tea at Bishop Percy’s House
• Selected tickets to two concerts at the Three Choirs Festival
• Accompanied by a friendly tour manager throughout

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Accommodation

Worcester Bank House Hotel & Spa (JG4 rating)

Close to charming Worcester and with lovely views of the Malvern Hills, the Worcester Bank House Hotel & Spa is perfectly located for our break. The hotel features stylish individually-designed rooms with a flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi and complimentary toiletries plus a restaurant, bar, luxurious spa and 18-hole golf course.