National Youth Choir

The National Youth Choir, 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 five choirs for around 900 children and young people between the ages of 9 and 25:^[1]

• National Youth Choir (9-15 Years), formerly National Youth Girls' and Boys' Choir of Great Britain
• National Youth Choir (15-18 Years), formerly National Youth Training Choir of Great Britain
• National Youth Choir (18-25 Years), formerly National Youth Choir of Great Britain
• National Youth Voices, formerly Laudibus and National Youth Chamber Choir (18-25 Years)

National Youth Choir
Choir
National Youth Choir at the Royal Albert Hall in 2016.
Also known as	NYC
Former name	National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, British Youth Choir
Founded	1983 (1983)
Artistic Director	Lucy Hollins
Chief conductor	Nicholas Chalmers, Joanna Tomlinson, Lucy Joy Morris, Greg Beardsell
Headquarters	Durham, England
Label	NYCR, NMC, Decca, Delphian, Sony & others
Website	www.nationalyouthchoir.org.uk

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

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

Background and performance history

The National Youth Choir was founded in 1983 by Carl Browning, with its five choirs have a membership of over 900 young singers aged 9 to 25 from across the UK.

The NYC regularly gives 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 NYC regularly creates and releases audio and video recordings on its own record label, National Youth Choir Recordings, and online platforms.^{[citation needed]}

NYC also supports the development of emerging young professionals through its Fellowship programme for future choral leaders and performers, its Young Composers scheme and its Young Conductors programme (launched in 2024).

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 & National Youth Voices: Nicholas Chalmers
• National Youth Choir (15-18 Years): Greg Beardsell^[9]
• National Youth Choir (9-15 Years) Female & Non-Binary: Joanna Tomlinson^[10]
• National Youth Choir (9-15 Years) Male & Non-Binary: Lucy Joy Morris^[11]

Former Conductors & Musical Directors

• Ben Parry^[12]
• Greg Hallam^[13]
• Robbie Jacobs^[14]
• Esther Jones^[15]
• Dominic Ellis Peckham
• Rachel Staunton^[16]

Recordings

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.

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

Notable former members

• Rich Batsford - Pianist, composer and singer-songwriter
• James Burton - Conductor and Composer
• Karen Danzig - Singer / songwriter
• Rae Hendrie - Actress
• Andrew Johnston - Came 3rd in Britain's Got Talent
• Jon Robyns - West End star of Les Misérables and Avenue Q
• Ben Thapa of G4 (band)

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. "National Youth Choir 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. "Greg Beardsell | Principal Conductor, National Youth Training Choir". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
10. "Joanna Tomlinson | Principal Conductor, National Youth Girls' Choir". National Youth Choirs GB. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
11. "Lucy Joy Morris | Principal Conductor, National Youth Boys' 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.

External links

• Official website
• Birmingham Post (15 April 2008). "Review: National Youth Choirs of Great Britain at Symphony Hall"