TWELVE years and four Three Choirs Hereford festivals ago, the organisers decided they wanted to stage an event that, in the Music Pool's Dennis Schiavon's words "was more directed towards the local population, not just in terms of the audience but in terms of participation too. They wanted a musical style and approach that would be less formal, and over the years, it's become an informal kind of 'let your hair down' event at the end of the festival."

Rehearsals have been underway for almost two years now for the 300th 3Choirs birthday Gathering Wave, which will see "just under 250 singers, at the last count" involved. "It's a lot of people to fit on that stage," says Dennis.

Reflecting on the increasing number of non-locals in the audience for the Gathering Wave, Dennis says: "Visitors used to go home after the last Friday night concert, but now there are significant numbers who stay an extra day to see the Gathering Wave.

"Singing is the first access point to music for anyone. You don't have to pay money for your voice and a lot of people can use it without too many lessons. Communal singing is about people coming together. There is nothing quite like the business of communal singing with energy and purpose."

Clearly, organising just shy of 250 people is a challenge, and rehearsal space for a choir that size is thin on the ground: "Adults are divided into four voice types with a separate fifth part for the kids, then we choose a selection of songs from all round the world and commission a new

piece which we like to have some local significance in its subject matter - last time, Bernard Hughes' took the Mappa Mundi as his inspiration."

Rehearsals take place in the individual choirs and schools taking part, and then we get the whole company together every few months. This year we've had rehearsals at Aylestone School because we can get 250 people in reasonably comfortably!"

This year's commissioned piece is by Pete Churchill, composition professor at the Royal Academy of MusicThe new work is entitled Echoes, and takes as its inspiration the story of Polish families who settled here at Foxley after the war as well as the current movement of people from the east into Herefordshire – understanding, integration, fellowship. "Musically, the piece draws on Polish folk tunes and English hymnody, including the hymn tune Hereford) and jazz – and it's fiendishly catchy," says Dennis.

Returning for a second time is Njabulo Madlala and Jenny Frost, musical director of Hereford Soul Choir, will also be involved again.

"We are very happy," says Dennis, "that Three Choirs has taken Gathering Wave under its wing."

The Gathering Wave is on Saturday, August 1 in Hereford Cathedral. To book, and for the full Three Choirs line-up, go to 3choirs.org