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 Lucas Adrian Lucas Adrian Lucas is an English conductor and organist. He became organist and director of music at Worcester Cathedral in 1996 and artistic director of the Worcester Three Choirs Festival. Previously he had been assistant organist at Norwich Cathedral (1983–90) before becoming organist and master of the choristers at Portsmouth Cathedral (1990–96). Lucas was born in Essex in 1962,attended Southend High School for Boys and graduated from St John's College, Cambridge, where he was organ scholar from 1980 to 1983 under Dr George Guest. During this time he toured regularly with the Chapel Choir in France, the Netherlands, Germany,