The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (NYCGB) is the family of

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

s for outstanding young singers, and those with outstanding potential, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. It comprises a total of five choirs for around 750 young people between the ages of 9 and 25: * The National Youth Boys' Choir (incorporating Cambiata Voices). * The National Youth Girls' Choir * The National Youth Training Choir * The National Youth Choir * The National Youth Chamber Choir * NYCGB Fellowship * NYCGB Composers

Background and performance history

Founded in 1983 by Carl Browning, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (NYCGB) is the UK’s most exciting, innovative and accessible organisation for young choral singers. NYCGB 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. NYCGB’s five choirs: • National Youth Girls’ Choir of Great Britain • National Youth Boys’ Choir of Great Britain • National Youth Training Choir of Great Britain • National Youth Choir of Great Britain • National Youth Chamber Choir of Great Britain have a membership of over 800 young singers aged 9 to 25 from across the UK. Through residential courses and special projects, NYCGB 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. NYCGB choirs regularly give high-profile performances at venues and festivals such as the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, Sage Gateshead, the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham, Edinburgh Festival, Snape Proms and the BBC Proms as well as at events of national significance. High-profile international artists NYCGB has worked with range from Daniel Barenboim to Kylie Minogue. The music it creates and performs encompasses a wide diversity of genres and vocal styles and NYCGB regularly creates and releases audio and video recordings on its own record label and online platforms. NYCGB 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 NYCGB’s work is its national learning and 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, NYCGB encourages more and more young people to sing together and pursue their passion and talent for singing at a regional and national level. NYCGB 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

*Director: Ben Parry (musician) *Principal Conductors: Joanna Tomlinson, Lucy Joy Morris, Greg Beardsell

Recordings

*John Casken: Uncertain Sea (2014), recorded for release on iTunes *

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

centenary recording on CD featuring all eight choirs of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, including works such as "A Hymn to the Virgin", '' Te Deum in C'' , ''Jubilate Deo'' in E flat, “The Ballad of Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard”, “Rejoice in the Lamb” and ‘A Ceremony of Carols” (2013)

Notable former members

* Lucy Bailey of the

Swingle Singers 270px, The Swingles at the Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany">Kirchzarten.html" ;"title="Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten">Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany on 29 June 2019 The Swingles are a v ...

Rich Batsford Richard William Batsford (born 25 October 1969) is an English pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. He is a recording artist and a frequent performer, initially in and around his birthplace in Birmingham, England, and more recently in Adelai ...

- Pianist, composer and singer-songwriter *

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...

- Conductor and Composer * Stephen Connolly of the

King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 19 ...

Karen Danzig Karen Jane Danzig (born 13 July 1972) is a British singer with paternal German ancestry. She was raised by profoundly deaf parents, with a hearing brother and a deaf younger sister. Danzig, mostly known for her success in the clubland genre of ...

- Singer / songwriter * John Daszak - Opera Singer * Karen England of

Opera Babes The Opera Babes are an English crossover classical music duo, consisting of Karen England, mezzo-soprano, and Rebecca Knight, soprano. The duo came to wide attention when they sang "Un bel dì vedremo" (from the opera ''Madame Butterfly'') on ...

* Joanna Goldsmith of the

Rae Hendrie Rae Hendrie (born 30 November 1976, Selkirk) is a Scottish actress known for her role as Jess Mackenzie in the BBC TV series '' Monarch of the Glen''. As a child, she sang in classical concerts. She later sang in her role on Monarch of the Gl ...

- Actress * Andrew Johnston - Came 3rd in ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...

'' * Louise Marshall - Singer with

Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra (also known as Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra) is a rhythm and blues band led by boogie-woogie pianist Jools Holland. History Holland formed the band in 1994. In May 2022 the 17-piece ...

* Chris Neale of the

* Wendy Nieper - formerly of the

Jon Robyns Jon Robyns (born 8 December 1982) is a British stage actor, who is best known for playing the roles of Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q the musical and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables in London's West End. Early life Robyns was born in Manchester ...

- West End star of

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

and

Avenue Q ''Avenue Q'' is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody of ...

Ben Thapa Ben Vishala Thapa (born 2 March 1982) is an English opera singer, best known as the low tenor in G4 from 2004 to 2018. Born in Cambridge, Thapa was raised by a single mother from the age of four after his father left, and entered foster care wh ...

of G4 (band) * Henrik Wager of the

Flying Pickets Picketing is a form of protest in which people (called pickets or picketers) congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place. Often, this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in (" crossing the pic ...

* Laura Wright of

All Angels All Angels were a British classical crossover group formed in 2006, consisting of Daisy Chute, Laura Wright, Rachel Fabri, Melanie Nakhla and actress Charlotte Ritchie. The group's style was classical crossover music and close harmony arr ...

References

External links

Official website
*''

Birmingham Post The ''Birmingham Post'' is a weekly printed newspaper based in Birmingham, England, with a circulation of 2,545 and distribution throughout the West Midlands. First published under the name the ''Birmingham Daily Post'' in 1857, it has had a s ...

'' (15 April 2008)
"Review: National Youth Choirs of Great Britain at Symphony Hall"
{{authority control British choirs National choirs Youth choirs Musical groups established in 1983 1983 establishments in the United Kingdom Youth organisations based in the United Kingdom