National Youth Choir

National Youth Choir (NYC), formerly known as the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and the British Youth Choir, is a family of choirs for outstanding young singers, and those with outstanding potential, in the United Kingdom. It comprises a total of five choirs for around 900 young people between the ages of 9 and 25:[1]

  • National Youth Choir 9-15 (Female & Non-Binary), formerly National Youth Girls' Choir of Great Britain
  • National Youth Choir 9-15 (Male & Non-Binary), formerly National Youth Boys' Choir of Great Britain.
  • National Youth Choir 15-18, formerly National Youth Training Choir of Great Britain
  • National Youth Choir 18-25, formerly National Youth Choir of Great Britain
  • National Youth Chamber Choir, formerly Laudibus
National Youth Choir
Choir
National Youth Choir at the Royal Albert Hall in 2016.
National Youth Choir at the Royal Albert Hall in 2016.
Also known asNYC
Former nameNational Youth Choirs of Great Britain, British Youth Choir
Founded1983 (1983)
Artistic DirectorLucy Hollins
Chief conductorNicholas Chalmers, Joanna Tomlinson, Lucy Joy Morris, Greg Beardsell
HeadquartersDurham, England
LabelNational Youth Choir Recordings, NMC, Decca, Delphian, Sony & others
Websitewww.nycgb.org.uk

The National Youth Choir also has a number of additional programmes and schemes, including its two Emerging Professional Artist programmes, the Fellowship[2] and the Young Composers[3] scheme, and its Learning & Engagement[4] programme.

The organisation also has a strong community of over 1,000 former members, NYC Alumni,[5] who often participate in performances alongside NYCGB's flagship choirs.

Background and performance history

Founded in 1983 by Carl Browning, the National Youth Choir is regarding as the UK's most exciting, innovative and accessible organisation for young choral singers. NYC inspires and empowers young people through the life-changing experience of singing together, is home to some of the best young singers in the world, and is a national champion for youth choral music.

Its five choirs have a membership of over 900 young singers aged 9 to 25 from across the UK. Through residential courses and special projects, NYC provides its young people with the best choral training, teaching and collaborations possible: unbeatable opportunities to develop skills in music and performance, leadership and teamwork, and to grow in confidence and aspiration.

National Youth Choir regularly gives high-profile performances at venues and festivals such as the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham, Edinburgh Festival, Snape Proms and the BBC Proms[6] as well as at events of national significance.[7] High-profile international artists NYC has worked with range from Daniel Barenboim to Kylie Minogue, along with top choirs including The Sixteen, Tenebrae, The Tallis Scholars, BBC Singers and many others. The music it creates and performs encompasses a wide diversity of genres and vocal styles, and National Youth Choir regularly creates and releases audio and video recordings on its own record label, National Youth Choir Recordings, and online platforms.

NYC passionately believe that all children and young people, regardless of background and circumstance, should be able to make music with others, and should have the opportunity to discover and explore their musical talent and achieve at the highest levels.

A major and growing strand of National Youth Choir's work is its national Learning & Engagement programme which reaches over 3,500 young people each year. Working with regional music education hubs, schools and partner organisations including regional choirs and venues, NYC encourages more and more young people to sing together and pursue their passion and talent for singing at a regional and national level.

National Youth Choir also supports the development of emerging young professionals through its Fellowship programme for future choral leaders and performers, and its Young Composers scheme.

Musical Directors & Conductors

Current Creative Director

Lucy Hollins was appointed Creative Director of National Youth Choir in Spring 2023, succeeding Ben Parry, who held the position from 2012 to 2022.[8]

Current Principal Conductors
  • National Youth Choir 18-25 & National Youth Chamber Choir: Nicholas Chalmers
  • National Youth Choir 9-15 (Female & Non-Binary): Joanna Tomlinson[9]
  • National Youth Choir 9-15 (Male & Non-Binary): Lucy Joy Morris[10]
  • National Youth Choir 15-18: Greg Beardsell[11]

Former Conductors & Musical Directors

Recordings

National Youth Choir Recordings (NYCR)

National Youth Choir operates its own record label, National Youth Choir Recordings (NYCR), which releases music recorded by its choirs via Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and other major music streaming services. The label publishes new recordings each month, which are regularly featured on playlists curated by each streaming platform's editorial team, as well as being broadcast on national radio stations, including BBC Radio 3, Classic FM and Scala.

Notable releases include:

NMC Recordings partnership

National Youth Choir also partners with NMC Recordings to produce its annual Young Composers albums: a set of pieces for National Youth Choir 18-25 and NYC's Fellowship Ensemble composed by that year's cohort of Young Composers.

The next album in this series, Young Composers 5, is due to be released in January 2024.

Other notable recordings

In addition to the recordings organised and produced by National Youth Choir and its partners, its choirs are regularly invited to take part in recording sessions with top orchestras and conductors. Recordings featuring the choirs have been released on labels including EMI, Delphian, Decca, Signum, and Priory. These have included:

  • Messiah...Refreshed!, with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (recorded at Abbey Road Studios, released on Signum Classics)
  • The Great War Symphony, with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (recorded at Abbey Road Studios, released on Decca)
  • Gloria - Te Deum, with Karl Jenkins and London Symphony Orchestra (released on Decca)
  • The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, with Karl Jenkins and London Philharmonic Orchestra (released on Decca)

Notable former members

References
  1. "Our choirs". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  2. "Fellowship". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  3. "Young Composers". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  4. "Learning & Engagement". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  5. "NYCGB Alumni". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  6. "BBC Proms". BBC Music Events. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  7. "Centenary Commemoration of the Battle of Amiens | Royal Air Force". www.raf.mod.uk. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  8. "Lucy Hollins appointed new Creative Director of National Youth Choirs of Great Britain". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  9. "Joanna Tomlinson | Principal Conductor, National Youth Girls' Choir". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  10. "Lucy Joy Morris | Principal Conductor, National Youth Boys' Choir". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  11. "Greg Beardsell | Principal Conductor, National Youth Training Choir". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  12. "Ben Parry - Honorary Fellow - National Youth Choir". Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  13. "Conductor – Greg Hallam". Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  14. "Meet our alumni". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  15. Tenebrae (2016-09-08). "Interview with Esther Jones | Blogs, News". Tenebrae Choir. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  16. "Meet our alumni". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
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