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As part of celebrating the National Youth Choir’s 40^th anniversary we are proud to have acknowledged some incredible people who have made a significant contribution to the organisation over this period by awarding them the prestigious title of Lifetime Honorary Fellow of the National Youth Choir.

Being a Fellow of the National Youth Choir is the highest level that a member can attain, often after being in the choir since age 9, moving up through all the choirs and completing their tenure as a Fellow aged 25. As inspirational leaders who have helped nurture and launch so many careers of choral artists, as part of their tenure with us, we felt it fitting that Ben Parry was also acknowledged as an honorary Lifetime Fellow of the National Youth Choir. 

Ben, who as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the National Youth Choir between 2012-2023, brought a positive and infectious energy to everything he did. Under his tenure, Ben inspired thousands of young singers, oversaw the introduction of our Learning and Engagement work in schools and communities, created and led our Fellowship and Young Composer Schemes for emerging professionals, wrote numerous outstanding new commissions for the choirs, including tonight’s finale and also played a major role in expanding the staff and course teams.