Brecon Choir Festival has revealed the first headline performers for its fifth-anniversary festival, taking place on July 16-19, 2026, confirming an exceptional international and Welsh-led line-up that will bring world-class choral music to Brecon and the surrounding area.

Headlining the festival is The Gesualdo Six, the award-winning British vocal ensemble, who will perform the Grand Concert at Brecon Cathedral on Saturday 18 July.

Directed by Owain Park, recently appointed chief conductor of the BBC Singers, the group is widely praised for its clarity, emotional depth and technical brilliance, with performances regularly selling out across Europe, North America and Australia.

Returning to Brecon following a standout appearance in 2024 is Continuum, who will present The Soul’s Journey on Sunday 19 July. Inspired by the poetry of George Herbert, the programme weaves together classic and contemporary choral works, including new commissions, marking a centrepiece of the festival’s 2026 theme.

Making their Welsh festival debut are Côr Llundain, winners of the 2023 Mixed Choir National Eisteddfod. On Friday 17 July, they will be joined by local favourites Aberhonddu & District Male Choir for a homecoming celebration expected to be one of the most memorable moments of the weekend.

Festival Friday also sees a special performance at Penpont by The Lyons Mouth, a dynamic young vocal consort known for imaginative programming and emotionally charged performances. Their concert will feature the Penpont Antiphon, the earliest known Welsh music manuscript, alongside music inspired by Herbert’s poetry. Tickets for this event will be strictly limited.

Bringing the festival to a close on Sunday 19 July is Cappella Lacensis, the resident chamber choir of the Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach in Germany. Their Brecon performance launches a UK tour, featuring masterworks by Bach and Mendelssohn.

Tickets for the headline concerts will go on sale in late January, alongside the full programme announcement, including speakers, additional choirs and details of the popular Come and Sing event with the Festival Chorus.

The festival has also confirmed that applications for the Young Singer Award 2026 close on 16 January, with the competition day taking place on Saturday 7 March. As Brecon Choir Festival prepares for its fifth anniversary, the 2026 programme reinforces the town’s growing reputation as a destination for outstanding live music, cultural tourism and summer festival experiences.

Brecon Choir Festival was set up in 2022 with the aim of bringing the best of the Welsh choral tradition together with the most exciting emerging choral talent in the UK and internationally.

A core tenet of the festival is providing attendees and young people with unique opportunities to participate in the joys of choral singing. You can expect to attend unforgettable concerts, but also to find yourself in workshops, street singing, discussions and - of course - at the festival’s famous ‘afterglows’ where everyone sings the night away in true Welsh style.

Set in the middle of the stunning Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, the volunteer run festival put beautiful spaces at the heart of the experience from Brecon Cathedral, to ancient Friaries and iconic Welsh chapels.