Herbert Sumsion host cities, along with Worcester and Hereford, of the Three Choirs Festival, an annual festival of choral emphasis first held in the early 18th century. Sumsion would later write of his musically formative experiences at the cathedral: ‘Quite soon after my entry into the choir I was singing with the [Three Choirs] Festival Chorus and gradually absorbing the choral music of the great classical composers and the contemporary writers, of whom the giant was certainly Elgar.' When Sumsion’s treble voice broke at age 15, he became an ‘articled pupil’ to Brewer, a designation connoting a three-year apprenticeship in organ, choral
Adrian Partington the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He has also worked with many of the big London choirs such as the BBC Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Chorus, Philharmonia Chorus and The Bach Choir on several occasions, not only preparing choirs for some of the great conductors of our time, such as Claudio Abbado, Bernard Haitink and Sir Charles Mackerras, but also as conductor himself. He was appointed director of music at Gloucester Cathedral in 2007, and took up the post in January 2008, along with the positions of conductor of Gloucester Choral Society and joint conductor of the Three Choirs Festival. The 2010