A pathway for the next generation of young voices: BBC Singers and National Youth Choir announce three-year partnership

BBC Singers and National Youth Voices with Nicholas Chalmers at the BBC Singers’ Centenary Concert, October 2024

The BBC Singers and the National Youth Choir have announced a three-year partnership between the two organisations to open the pathway for the next generation of young voices. The partnership will centre on the collective ambition for young singers to gain invaluable experience of performing and recording together, focusing on education initiatives to provide opportunities for students from across the country to experience the joy of singing. It will encompass work involving National Youth Choir’s oldest singers, aged 18-25; its chamber ensemble, National Youth Voices; and its professional development scheme for singers, conductors and composers; the Emerging Professional Artists programme.

The two groups shared the stage at the BBC Proms earlier this year performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 from memory with Aurora Orchestra, and the National Youth Choir joined the BBC Singers at their centenary concert at the Barbican on 2 October 2024, where they performed Numbers by former National Youth Choir Young Composer Shruthi Rajasekar, led by Nicholas Chalmers, who is principal conductor of the National Youth Choir’s flagship ensemble, National Youth Choir (18-25 Years), and associate conductor, learning at the BBC Singers.