Boys', Girls' & Training Choir Auditions AUDITION! National Youth Girls’, Boys’ and Training Choir Audition booking is now open and closes at 9:00am on Monday 19th October Please note that the next round of auditions for the National Youth Choir (age 18 and over by 31st August 2020) will take place in May 2021. Join our mailing list to stay informed of audition booking announcements. If you have a passion and talent for singing with others that you want to take to the highest level, along with a readiness to learn, then an NYCGB audition can be the start of something amazing for you. We passionately believe that choral singing is for everyone and strongly encourage all talented young singers from all backgrounds and musical styles to audition. As a member you’ll have the best choral training possible including unbeatable opportunities to develop skills in music, performance, recording, leadership and teamwork, and to grow in confidence and aspiration. You’ll sing alongside the most gifted young singers in the UK, developing your skills to the highest level, and making life-long friends. You can audition for NYCGB if you are a British citizen or a resident of the UK at the time of application. Our choirs are age-specific and the Age & School Year Guidance Table has full details. Download Age & School Year Guidance Table 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 voice change. Due to the current pandemic all our auditions this year will take place online (over Zoom), so you can audition safely from your home or school. Audition booking is now opens and closes at 9.00am on Monday 19th October. We’re really looking forward to meeting you and hope you enjoy your NYCGB audition. If you have any queries please contact Amanda Wood [email protected] or 0191 383 7355. Please note that auditions for the National Youth Choir (18 and over by 31st August 2020) take place in May 2021. Here’s how it all works. Information for parents or carers Step 1 - Get ready to book Booking checklist: Make sure the person booking is a parent or carer Check the candidate is eligible to apply (age and citizenship – see above) Check the Age & Guidance Table to confirm which choir they should audition for Have a recent head and shoulders photograph of the candidate ready to upload – this should be in digital format (JPEG or TIFF) Step 2 - Book an audition You can book a Zoom audition via our website and choose from a range of date and time slots. Audition dates are as follows: National Youth Boys’ Choir: Friday 23rd, Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th, Thursday 29th October & Tuesday 3rd November National Youth Girls’ Choir: Thursday 22nd, Saturday 24th, Monday 26th, Wednesday 28th, Friday 30th October & Sunday 1st, Thursday 5th, Saturday 7th & Monday 9th November National Youth Training Choir: Monday 26th, Wednesday 28th, Friday 30th & Saturday 31st October & Wednesday 4th November *For current Boys’ and Girls’ Choir members auditioning to progress to the Training Choir, please refer to email communications from NYCGB, which detail specific audition dates. You will need to create a ‘My NYCGB’ account to book an audition here, which you'll be able to do from 9.00am on Tuesday 8th September, unless you already have an existing account. Please make sure that a parent or carer is booking the audition. We’re able to offer a reduced audition fee of £20 this year. Financial assistance is available and anyone on free school meals can audition for free, for more information click here. To access this support, tick the box when booking your audition, and complete the simple online form. All financial assistance applications must be submitted by 9:00am on Monday 19th October, and outcomes will be emailed on Wednesday 21st October. Step 3 – Prepare Once you've booked an audition, it's time to make sure the candidate is as prepared as possible. Head over to our 'How to Prepare' page to watch this short video from our Artistic Director Ben Parry and former NYCGB member, opera singer Fizz Buckland. We would like all candidates to perform an unaccompanied song of their choice from memory. Please refer to the ‘How to Prepare’ page. Step 4 – Audition The big day! We want to assess the candidate’s ability, potential, enthusiasm and their readiness to learn. Our NYCGB staff will help put them at ease on the day. Step 5 – Result We will send you an email with the result once all auditions have taken place. If the candidate is successful, we'll invite them to accept their place in the appropriate choir for their age and ability, and also allocate them a voice part. We will send instructions about how to accept the place and, if new to NYCGB, pay a one-off Membership Fee of £90. Once the place is accepted and membership fee paid, we will send an invitation and instructions to how to book Spring and/or Summer courses for 2021 (depending on the situation regarding the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic). Please note, voice parts allocated at audition may be re-assessed on each course so candidates should not worry if their voice might be changing. If two consecutive courses are missed, NYCGB membership will be de-activated, and the candidate will need to re-audition. For more information visit these pages: How to book How to prepare Sign up to our mailing list here or follow us on social media to keep up to date with announcements about auditions