2026 Theme: In Every Corner Sing
“Let all the world in every corner sing” George Herbert
Our theme for 2026, In Every Corner Sing, takes its inspiration from George Herbert - the greatest devotional poet in the English language, and a writer whose work speaks with striking urgency to our own time.
Born in 1593 on the Welsh border, Herbert seemed destined for a life at the heart of power. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, he rose to become the University’s Orator. Yet at the height of his promise, he chose a different path - turning away from public life to become a parish priest in the small village of Bemerton.
On his deathbed, Herbert entrusted a manuscript of poems to a friend, asking him to publish them only if they might “turn to the glory of God.” The result was The Temple - one of the masterpieces of English literature—containing works of extraordinary beauty and depth, from Love (III) (“Love bade me welcome…”) to Prayer (“The land of spices: something understood”).
Herbert is no longer seen simply as the serene, saintly Anglican priest. His poetry is alive with tension, doubt, longing - even rebellion. It is a drama of the soul that moves, ultimately, toward harmony.
Herbert does not offer easy answers. Instead, he offers a language for the search itself: honest, searching, and ultimately oriented toward love.
At Brecon in 2026, we will explore how his poetry can help us “tune” ourselves more deeply into reality - through music, conversation, and shared experience.
We are delighted to welcome leading Herbert scholars to Brecon including Helen Wilcox, Rowan Williams, and Simon Jackson, alongside some of the UK’s finest musicians and composers.
The Sound World of Herbert
Our musical journey will move between Herbert’s own time and our own.
We will hear the sacred music of his contemporaries, including William Byrd, alongside great English works such as Vaughan Williams’s Five Mystical Songs.
Building on our commitment to new music, we will also present new commissions inspired by Herbert’s poetry, written by emerging composers from Wales and across the UK.
A highlight of the festival will be the world premiere of Prayer by Owain Park, performed by The Gesualdo Six at our Grand Concert on 18 July.
Singing In Every Corner of Brecon
Herbert’s vision is not confined to the page or the concert hall.
Throughout the festival, music will spill out across Brecon - into chapels, streets, and unexpected spaces.
Our Festival Choir Trail will see community choirs singing throughout the town, culminating in a vibrant finale at Plough Chapel with the outstanding Welsh ensemble Octave Cymru.
For one long weekend in July, Brecon will become a place where music is everywhere—where, quite literally, every corner sings!
Herbert and Music
Few poets have inspired such a rich musical legacy.
Herbert’s language is inherently musical - shaped by rhythm, structure, and a deep sensitivity to sound. As Diarmaid MacCulloch has observed, he is “one of the most singable of poets.” His words have given rise to beloved hymns such as Let All the World in Every Corner Sing and King of Glory, King of Peace, and to major works including Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Five Mystical Songs, alongside settings by Herbert Howells, James MacMillan, and Judith Weir.
But for Herbert, music was more than metaphor. It was a way of understanding reality itself.
In Denial, he cries out for God to “tune my heartless breast”; elsewhere he asks, “Lord, place me in thy consort.” Music is not just a pleasant pasttime, but quite literally a way of connecting heaven and earth.
As Cambridge scholar Simon Jackson describes it, Herbert’s vision involves a “double motion” - the harmony of heaven, and the human struggle to align ourselves with it.
Why Herbert, Now?
We live in a time often described as a “meaning crisis” - a world rich in information, but uncertain of purpose.
0ur Herbert inspired events:
‘Till…my musick shine’ The reverberating life and poetry of George Herbert
Panel Discussion with Helen Wilcox (University of Bangor) and Chris Hodgkins (University of North Carolina).
Thursday, 16th July 5pm
Love, from Contrepoint
At this lunchtime concert, be the first to hear a new work by young composer William Cox set to the poetry of George Herbert.
Friday 17th July, 12.30pm
The Lyons Mouth present…'Winged Voices'
Winged Voices explores the subject of flight and spiritual ascent through poetry and music, a recurrent theme in George Herbert’s writing
Saturday 18th July, 11.15am
George Herbert and our modern afflictions
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams explores the relevance of George Herbert for modern people.
Saturday 18th July, 11.15am
The Gesualdo Six
This stunning ensemble will bring George Herbert’s soundworld to life with a special programme of English and Welsh motets by composers such as Byrd, Tomkins and Tallis.
Hear the world premiere of Prayer a special new commission for Brecon Choir Festival by Owain Park
Saturday, 18th July, 7pm
‘One Harmonie’: George Herbert, Music and the Soul pre-concert panel discussion
Join world experts Dr Simon Jackson and Professor Helen Wilcox as they illuminate Herbert’s profound understanding of music and its theological significance.
Sunday, 19th July, 11.30am
Continuum present George Herbert: The Journey of the Soul
Featuring new commissions by acclaimed composers Stuart Beer (‘Praise’ (King of Glory)) and Richard Barnard (A Wreath).
Sunday, 19th July, 1pm