Green agenda for National Youth Choirs of Great Britain in 2022

The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (NYCGB) will focus on the theme of ‘Environment’ in its artistic programme for 2022, to be announced at an online showcase on 15 February streamed from the VOCES8 Centre in London. NYCGB is returning to a full programme of concerts, residential courses and community activity following the pandemic.

The flagship National Youth Choir will perform with internationally renowned vocal group The Swingles at new East London venue Woolwich Works on 7 April, with a programme that includes the world premiere of a new commission, co-created with choir members, Until It’s Gone – music for our planet.

As part of the PRS Foundation’s New Music Biennial 2022, the National Youth Chamber Choir will perform in Coventry, UK City of Culture, in April and at London’s Southbank Centre in July, and will be joined by the National Youth Choir at the Ryedale Festival in North Yorkshire in July.

NYCGB’s Learning and Engagement projects will include a new partnership with the Royal Northern College of Music’s award-winning Pathfinder programme and the launch of a brand new Sunderland Youth Choir. A further new relationship, with Ark Schools, will develop bespoke, new partnership activity and support the engagement of young musicians with NYCGB.

Dorico, NYCGB’s Principal Innovation Sponsor, will support a new commission by a young composer for one of NYCGB’s choirs. This opportunity will provide a graduate of the Young Composers scheme with a professional paid commission to write a new work around the 2022 environmental theme.

Development programmes for emerging professional artists continue for the seventh cohort of the Fellowship programme for young choral leaders, and NYCGB will deliver a fourth year of its Young Composers scheme in partnership with NMC Recordings.

NYCGB Chief Executive Anne Besford said, ‘2022 is already shaping up to be another very busy year. The huge challenges of the last two years have also provided opportunities for us to re-evaluate and develop how we engage with more people from as wide a range of backgrounds and locations as possible and build a truly representative community.

‘Much of this online and digital work will continue, alongside our exciting programme of concerts, courses and engagement activities’.