Unforgettable Choral Experiences with the 2024 Brecon Choir Festival

July 2024 will be the third year for Brecon Choir Festival. There will be four days of joyous singing and community in the heart of the beautiful Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

This year’s festival sees an expanded programme with a range of concerts, talks and activities for all ages and interests.  Brecon Cathedral is hosting the opening concert of the Festival on Thursday 18th July with The Armed Man by Sir Karl Jenkins. Brecon Singers are being joined by a Festival Chorus and accompanied by cellist Sonia Hammond and musicians from Brecon Sinfonia for this event.

The cathedral is also hosting the “Red Jackets” of London Welsh Male Voice Choir on the Saturday evening which is already a sellout concert. On Sunday 21st July the afternoon Festival Evensong in the cathedral is inviting Festival attendees to experience a unique British choral tradition and join the cathedral choir and congregation for their Festival Evensong. Music will include Stanford in B flat and Let All The World by Vaughan Williams. String players from the Gwent Chamber Orchestra will be accompanying the event.

Other highlights of the Festival include the visit of the Zulu Royal Chorale who join forces with local favourites Aberhonddu & District Male Choir at the theatre on Friday 19th July and rising stars of the British choral music scene, Continuum,  are singing a special Henry Vaughan-themed concert at Christ College on Saturday lunchtime.

Back by popular demand is the Festival Choir Trail on the Saturday afternoon, where you can follow choirs at iconic stops across the town.

The 2024 festival theme focuses on the musical legacy of Breconshire Metaphysical Poet Henry Vaughan. Vaughan’s poetry, inspired by the stunning natural landscape around us, has been the source of inspiration for many composers down the years including Holst, Parry, and Finzi amongst many others. The aim at this year’s festival is to delve deeper into Vaughan’s world, to understand what inspired his poetry and why he has been such a rich source of creativity for composers past and present.

Brecon Choir Festival believes in the unique power of choral music to bring people together, to create new friendships and lifelong memories. The many free communal events include the Festival Hike (followed by 'Welsh Cakes and a Cuppa'), the Festival Choir Trail in locations around Brecon and finally the famous Afterglows where we sing the night away in true Welsh style. 

The line-up is designed to appeal to the long-time choral aficionado as much as the ‘choral curious’ individual who may never have attended similar events before.

Tickets for the various events can be bought here.