NYCGB COVID-19 UPDATE

18 March 2020

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Following the recent advice issued by the UK Government and Public Health England in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are sorry to announce that we have taken the decision to cancel all NYCGB’s planned spring courses, concerts and open events.

NYCGB exists to bring young singers together to explore their passion for music, to learn and to grow as individuals and as a choir. This is an unprecedented situation in our 37-year history, and though our ethos is to bring young people together we feel this is the right and responsible decision to ensure we play our part in protecting the health and well-being of our members, staff and the wider public.

We understand that this will be disappointing for our singers, staff and audiences, and we are currently exploring creative ways in which we can continue to support our members’ singing through online activities and workshops and bring new musical content to our audiences during this period. More to be announced, and do keep an eye on our social media platforms and join our mailing list for updates! We are also considering ways we can support our brilliant freelance teams during these difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately, the World Symposium on Choral Music in New Zealand has been cancelled by the organisers due to the impact of COVID-19 internationally. This has a significant impact on our touring plans for the summer, and we are in the process of reviewing our options for the National Youth Choir tour. We will be updating members further by the end of April.

Auditions for the National Youth Choir 2020/21 are scheduled to go ahead as planned in May, with booking opening on 30^th March. We will be considering different options for the delivery of these, should we be unable to run these in person. More information about National Youth Choir auditions can be found here.

All tickets for spring concerts will be refunded in full and course fees will be refunded in full for those members who are currently still booked to attend a spring course, in accordance with our refunds policy. Please see below FAQ for further details.

The current circumstances will inevitably put a financial strain on our organisation, and we are determined to come through this and ensure that we not only keep the nation singing in the long term but also during this international crisis. Many people have kindly asked how they can help. If you would like to make a donation to support our work through these difficult times, please click here.

Our summer courses, concerts and wider activities are currently unaffected by this announcement and we will continue to monitor the situation closely with regard to these.

Due to the volume of enquires we are expecting to receive and due to the NYCGB team now working remotely, we may not be able to respond as quickly as usual.

We appreciate your patience during this time and hope that you stay safe and well.

Anne Besford, CEO

FAQ

Should I have received information about the spring courses?

More detailed information has been sent out by email to all members / parents / carers who currently still have a booking for a spring course. If for any reason you haven’t received the email or you have any further queries, please contact Amanda Wood at [email protected] / 0191 383 7355 for Girls’, Boys’ or Training Choir or Elizabeth Curwen at [email protected] / 0191 383 7334 if you have an enquiry relating to the National Youth Choir, NYCGB Fellowship, Young Composer Scheme or Chamber Choir.

 

Will I receive a refund for the spring course?

For those members who are currently still booked to attend a spring course, your course fees will be refunded in full according to our refunds policy. You do not need to contact us to arrange a refund as we will process these during the week commencing Monday 23^rd March.

 

Will I receive a refund for spring concert tickets?

All tickets for spring concerts will be refunded in full. For tickets purchased from Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry and the Princess Alexandra Auditorium, Yarm, the venue will be in touch with you directly about your refund.

For tickets purchased for the concert at Clifton Cathedral, Bristol which were sold directly by NYCGB, these will be refunded by us. Again, we will be in touch with you to organise this.

If you have a query about concert ticket refunds, please contact Nina Byrne via [email protected] or 0191 383 7351.

 

How can I help support NYCGB during this difficult time?

We are hugely grateful for the support of the wider NYCGB community! If you would like to help support us through this period please do consider making a donation. All donations will be most gratefully received and go towards supporting NYCGB’s ongoing organisational costs.

If you would like to make a new donation to NYCGB and help keep the nation singing, please click here

If you have a current spring course booking and wish to donate all or part of the course fees, you can do this by contacting Amanda Wood via [email protected] by 9am on Monday 23^rd March with the following information:

• the name of the choir your young singer is in (e.g. Boys’, Girls’ or Training Choir)
• the amount you would like to donate from the course fees
• the email address of the person who paid the course fees

For the Training Choir concert, if you wish to donate the cost of your ticket for this event please contact Nina Byrne via [email protected]  by 9am on Monday 23^rd March, with the following information so we can identify your original payment:

• the name and email address of the person who booked the ticket(s)
• the last four digits of the card used
• the value of the donation you wish to make

I have booked an open event. What happens now?

Although we have regrettably had to cancel our spring open events, at the current time our summer activities including open events are currently unaffected. We will continue to monitor the situation closely with regard to these and if they are able to go ahead we will get back in touch with you in the hope that you’ll be able to attend one of these events instead.