"A rewarding introduction to four promising young composers." ★★★★ BBC Music Magazine

The latest release in NMC's annual partnership with the National Youth Choir compiles a collection of imaginative new choral works by four talented, rising-star composers; Millicent B James, Will Harmer, Emily Hazrati, and Alex Tay. Now in its fifth year, the partnership goes from strength to strength with past releases achieving consistent critical acclaim. Works from the previous two Young Composers albums have won the Ivor Novello Classical Award for Best Choral Composition (Ben Nobuto's Sol (2023) and Derri Joseph Lewis' Something Exciting (2022)).

Each year the Young Composers scheme offers a four-phase programme (Discovery, Exploration, Realisation and Promotion) including residential courses, workshops, peer and professional mentoring, digital releases and performance showcases. The result is a selection of engaging and thoughtful new choral music, performed and recorded by National Youth Choir (18-25 Years) conducted by Emily Dickens, and the National Youth Choir Fellowship Ensemble with Ben Parry (conductor).

The set theme for this year's cohort was 'Celebration', tying in with the 40th Anniversary of National Youth Choir. The responses from these four unique compositional voices are hugely diverse in style and sound; from Will Harmer's spirited collection of madrigals, to Millicent James' euphoric celebration of friendship; Emily Hazrati's exploration of Iranian dance music, to Alex Tay's positive reflection on 'gen Z' culture.

The National Youth Choir and NMC Recordings share the ethos of supporting emerging composers, enabling imaginative new choral music to be promoted through professional releases. Having their music released on NMC significantly raises awareness of the Young Composers, providing them with a calling card of their work from which their career can flourish.