BBC Singers partners with National Youth Choir

The BBC Singers and National Youth Choir have announced a three-year partnership designed to ‘open the pathway for the next generation of young voices’. Throughout the new collaboration the BBC Singers will work with National Youth Choir’s 18-25 choir, chamber ensemble National Youth Voices and the Emerging Professional Artists programme, the National Youth Choir’s professional development scheme for singers, conductors and composers

The partnership will offer young singers experience of performing and recording and provide opportunities for students from across the country to experience the joy of singing. Following their joint performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Aurora Orchestra at the BBC Proms, the groups marked the formal start of their partnership last week at the BBC Singers’ Centenary Concert at the Barbican.

BBC Singers director Jonathan Manners said: ‘Many members of the BBC Singers are National Youth Choir alumni who have benefitted first-hand from the formative musical experiences of being part of such an important organisation for young musicians. The BBC Singers continue to thrive on building strong working relationships with National Youth Choir, and together we have the opportunity to build a significant development pathway, not just for the musicians we work with, but for young people encountering the joy of singing together for the first time. This partnership will have a significant impact on our sector, and create a framework to inspire the next generation of singers to perform together in exciting and innovative ways.’

Further details of the partnership will be announced early 2025.