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
Worcester Music Festival, Massachusetts Worcester Music Festival, Massachusetts Worcester Music Festival is a classical music festival held in Worcester, Massachusetts since 1858, and it is claimed to be the oldest music festival in the United States. The inaugural edition in 1858 was a four-day music convention organized by Edward Hamilton and Benjamin F. Baker. In the same year, the Worcester Chorus was founded to sing at the festival, and it continues to perform every year. Although the convention lasted four days, only one concert was held. The Worcester County Musical Convention was formed in 1863, and Carl Zerrahn became its director in 1866. It