Can I audition for the NYC annual programme on a course? Expand If you are a current National Youth Choir Annual Programme member or a current Training Choir member, you must book an external audition. As the Annual Programme starts at the beginning of September and includes a Tour, candidates need to receive their audition results before the Summer course in order to be able to sign up for the Annual Programme. If you are unable to make any of the dates available, an external audition with Director Ben Parry will be considered only in exceptional personal circumstances and on a case to case basis.
NYC INTERNATIONAL TOUR: What if the NYC tour clashes with my Graduation? Expand Unfortunately the timing of the tour is fixed and fits around NYC’s participation in the 12thWorld Symposium of Choral Music in New Zealand. If you are a current member of NYC 2018/19 and are unable to take part in the 2019/20 annual programme, there may be other opportunities to perform with NYC during special concerts throughout the year, for example at Christmas concerts and at BBC Proms. Click here to download the Annual Programme guide 2019/20
NYC INTERNATIONAL TOUR: Is the NYC international tour part of the annual programme? Expand Yes, the tour is included as part of the full annual programme. Click here to download the Annual Programme guide 2019/20
AUDITIONS: Who can audition? Expand This FAQ updated: 20 September 2018 Membership of NYCGB is open to British citizens and anyone who is a resident of the UK at the time of application (excluding non-domicile applicants). Our choirs are age-specific. Girls can audition from School Year 6 and boys can audition from School Year 5. Our Age Ranges & Eligibility Table has full details. DOWNLOAD THE TABLE Please note (1): Book your audition on a convenient date, location and time and, if successful, the panel will allocate you to the appropriate choir for your age and ability. Applicants aged 18 on 31 August in the year of application should audition for National Youth Choir in May/June. Applicants for Boys', Girls' and Training Choir should audition in the Autumn. Please note (2): Boys undergoing voice change are welcome and encouraged to audition. We have a specialist ensemble within our National Youth Boys' Choir called Cambiata Voices which looks after boys through their vocal development.
AUDITIONS: When and where are the auditions? Expand This FAQ updated: 20 June 2019 Auditions for the National Youth Boys' Choir, National Youth Girls' Choir and National Youth Training Choir are held in November 2019. Booking opens on Monday 23 September. Skype auditions will also be available to those who live in remote areas including The Highlands and islands of Scotland, remote parts of Cornwall and Northern Ireland. Details to be announced. Auditions for the National Youth Choir 2019/20 and NYCGB Fellowship Programme are now closed. We will announce 2020 audition dates later on in 2019 for auditions taking place in spring 2020. The National Youth Choir auditions are earlier because the choir has a special Annual Programme which runs from September to August. FIND OUT MORE Please note (1): You are free to choose the audition location which suits you best. If your audition is successful, you'll be invited to join the choir appropriate for your age/ability. Please note (2): We only publish audition locations, and not venues, for safeguarding purposes. Audition venues are usually located centrally and easily accessible by public transport. You'll receive venue details with your confirmation email when you book your audition. *We are able to offer auditions to current Boys' Choir and Girls' Choir members on their summer courses.
AUDITIONS: How much do auditions cost? Expand This FAQ updated: 20 June 2019 Expected audition fee is £37 (to be confirmed prior to booking).You will also need to pay for your travel to the venue. If you receive free school meals, then your audition is free and we will support reasonable travel costs. If you do not receive free school meals you may still be eligible for financial support to cover travel costs. Click here for more information about financial assistance. To access this support, you just need to tick a box when booking your audition, and then complete a simple online form. If you are a current member of the National Youth Choir Annual Programme re-auditioning is free. Please note: We provide an official auditions accompanist at all audition venues, so you don't need to book / pay for your own.
AUDITIONS: How do I book an audition? Expand This FAQ updated: 22 July 2019 We are holding auditions for the National Youth Boys’, Girls’ and Training Choirs this Autumn and auditions booking opens on Monday 23 September 2019. Please note that booking for the National Youth Choir and Fellowship Programmes 2019/20 are now closed. You can book an NYCGB audition via a separate area of our website called MY NYCGB. You will be asked to create a user profile and from there, you will be able to book an audition. This process will be open from 23 September 2019. If you are an external candidate (you are not a current member of NYCGB) you will be asked to register. You will need to then follow the instructions, including completing your online profile. Once logged in click on Auditions section on the left-hand side. Select the audition you would like to attend, noting the different locations and venues. Complete all the required information, selecting your preferred time slot. If your chosen time slot is not available, this means this time is already fully booked, and you should select another time or date. If you require financial assistance for your audition, please tick on financial assistance when completing the booking and follow this link to our financial assistance page on our website to complete the form https://www.nycgb.org.uk/financial-assistance NB: If you have forgotten your password, you can click on forgotten password to re-set it. This will send you an email to your registered email account. Please follow the instructions in the email and log back on. If you get stuck you can always contact us: Please contact Amanda Wood for Boys’, Girls’ and Training Choirs. [email protected] 0191 383 7355 Please contact Elizabeth Curwen for Fellowship, Young Composers and National Youth Choir Annual Programme: [email protected] 0191 383 7334 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm). Go to My NYCGB
AUDITIONS: What do I need to bring to the audition? Expand This FAQ updated: 8 November 2018 You must bring sheet music for your accompanied song, in the key that you will sing it in, for the accompanist. We also recommend that you bring a bottle of water to keep hydrated, as not all our audition venues have drinking water facilities.
AUDITIONS: How can I improve my sight-reading? Expand This FAQ updated: 26 September 2018. We ask all audition candidates to do a sight-reading test, and other musicianship tests, as part of their audition. The kind of things you'll be asked to do depend on your age, and are listed on the How to prepare page: FIND OUT MORE A lot of people get worried about this part of the audition. The good news is that this is not the 'trick' bit where we are looking to catch candidates out. We want candidates to do well - and to help you we have a whole online course of musicianship videos, hosted on our YouTube channel. We'd recommend watching as many of them as you can, starting with the introduction. WATCH THE VIDEOS
AUDITIONS: What happens in the audition? Expand This FAQ updated: 17 September 2018 To find out what happens in the audition, and how to prepare to give your best, visit the How to prepare page on our website: click below. FIND OUT MORE