The BBC Singers and National Youth Choir today announce a three-year partnership to open the pathway for the next generation of young voices. 

The partnership will centre on our 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 a range of our singers and ensembles including National Youth Choir (18-25 Years), National Youth Voices and our Emerging Professional Artists.

Following our joint sold-out performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony from memory with the BBC Singers and Aurora Orchestra at the BBC Proms this summer, we shared the stage again with the BBC Singers yesterday (2 October) at their Centenary Concert, marking the formal start of our partnership together. National Youth Voices joined the BBC Singers to perform Numbers by former National Youth Choir Young Composer Shruthi Rajasekar, led by Nicholas Chalmers, who is Principal Conductor of our flagship ensemble and Associate Conductor, Learning at the BBC Singers.

Jonathan Manners, Director of BBC Singers 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.

Lucy Hollins, Creative Director of National Youth Choir said:

Over the past year, we have been delighted to collaborate and perform with the BBC Singers on a number of projects, which have given National Youth Choir members incomparable opportunities to work at the very highest level, and learn from the best of the best. National Youth Choir is passionate about building connections, creating pathways for young people from all backgrounds, and sharing in the joy of singing together. I am thrilled that we will be working even more closely with the BBC Singers over the coming years to develop a range of professional opportunities for the next generation of choral singers, and inspire all those who love to sing.

Further details of our partnership will be announced early 2025. Last night’s shared performance from the BBC Singers and National Youth Voices is now available on BBC Sounds and will be shown on BBC TV and iPlayer at a later date.

Listen on bbc sounds