With the festive season now upon us and the end of the year approaching, we are reflecting on a fantastic and busy year, where our choirs were able to return to live residential courses and performances.
The National Youth Choir of Scotland
The National Youth Choir of Scotland travelled across the country to perform at several prestigious events and venues. These were the first full-scale concerts the choir has performed in three years.
Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), August 2022
Upper voices thrilled and delighted tens of thousands in MACRO, the official opening event of EIF 2022 at Murrayfield and its sister piece The Pulse at the Edinburgh Playhouse in August.
“A remarkably visceral piece of dance, movement, and vocals” The Review Hub
Duruflé Requiem Tour, August 2022
The full choir embarked on a Scottish tour to Stirling, Inverness, Paisley and Edinburgh performing Duruflé’s Requiem, Garrop’s Sonnets of Desire, Longing and Whimsey and Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb in August, conducted by our Artistic Director Christopher Bell and accompanied by Michael Bawtree. In this, the first Scottish Tour by the National Youth Choir of Scotland in 18 years, large audiences (including a sold-out candlelit performance in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh) were reminded of the outstanding abilities of our singers.
BBC Children in Need, November 2022
18 Tenor and Basses took part in a recording of Kate Bush’s Running up that Hill, originally intended for the Last Night of the Proms which was shown on BBC Children in Need in November. Click here to watch the recording
The National Youth Choir of Scotland was kindly supported by Foyle Foundation, The William Syson Foundation and Hugh Fraser Foundation.
National Girls Choir
The National Girls Choir showcased their angelic harmonies at various concerts and on television.
National Girls Choir and the associated Training Choir performed at the RSNO Centre, Glasgow, April 2022
Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), August 2022
Performed Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles for EIF’s opening concert in August 2022.
“You could not miss the NYCOS National Girls Choir in their scarlet shirts, supporting soprano Meechot Marrero in her molten Amor volat undique and deftly handling the “totus floreo” accelerandos.” ★★★★ BachTrack
BBC One Scotland, December 2022
National Girls Choir recorded some Christmas items which will be included in Christmas Celebration (Christmas Eve) and Reflections at the Quay (Christmas Day) Click here to listen
National Boys Choir
The National Boys Choir have continued to thrill audiences with their rich and wonderful sound in some spectacular Scottish venues:
National Boys Choir, the associated Training Choir and Changing Voices Choir performed in The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, April 2022
Holy Trinity Church, Melrose, May 2022
As part of the Melrose Music Festival
The National Boys Choir was kindly supported by the McGlashan Charitable Trust.
Chamber Choir
We formed a new Chamber Choir to perform a varied repertoire in diverse locations with some of our most experienced singers. There were two projects for 2022. 24 singers convened for the first time in July, rehearsing music by Britten, Shaw, MacMillan and Dove. In August, 48 singers rehearsed and performed for the Edinburgh International Festival.
Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), August 2022
The Chamber Choir joined the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and the RSNO to perform in Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with Sir Andrew Davis for EIF’s Closing Concert. Click here to watch the performance
Lammermuir Festival, September 2022
After concerts in St Andrews and Helensburgh, the new Chamber Choir was officially launched at the Lammermuir Festival in East Lothian, conducted by Christopher Bell.
“If the full forces of the senior choir have already impressed some of the world’s top conductors in performances in Edinburgh, London, Europe and the United States, this elite unit of between 20 and 30 young voices is a refinement of that success.” VoxCarnyx
BBC One Scotland’s Reflections at the Quay, December 2022
The Chamber Choir recorded some items at St Mary’s Cathedral Edinburgh to be included in BBC One Scotland’s Reflections at the Quay, which will be broadcast on 25 December. Click here to listen
The Chamber Choir is kindly supported by the Leverhulme Trust’s Arts Scholarships Programme.
Regional Choirs
After a challenging couple of years, our 14 regional choirs had shrunk to 650 members. We commenced an extensive recruitment campaign in November 2021 which boosted membership to 1,100. Our Regional Choirs enjoyed their Summer and Winter Concerts with many friends and family in attendance.
Our thirty-week rehearsals combined singing sessions with musicianship training, for young people seeking to gain our Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.
Our Regional Choirs also enjoyed their Summer and Winter Choir Concerts with many friends and family attending.
Our Regional Choirs are kindly supported by Foyle Foundation, The Northwood Charitable Trust, Gordon Fraser Charitable Trust, Nancie Massey Charitable Trust, Leach Family Charitable Trust, Tay Charitable Trust, The R J Larg Family Trust and the Meikle Foundation.
Creative Learning
We delivered vital Creative Learning activities in 2022, with various successful projects:
Kodály Summer School
Our Summer School took place at Fettes College in Edinburgh from 31 July 2022 to 5 August 2022, featuring a colourful syllabus and many reputable presenters.
Wee Sing Project
We successfully ran several in-school workshops and after-school singing clubs as well as a free five-day Summer Wee Sing in July for primary three to primary seven children, in partnership with West Lothian Council.
Mini Music Makers
We restarted our Mini Music Makers sessions for children aged 0 to 7 and their adults in person in Linlithgow, Glasgow and Stirling, and began delivering this work in Dollar for the first time from March 2022.
NYCOS Voicemale Perth Boys Project
250 boys from Perth & Kinross primary schools took part in the Voicemale Perth Singing Project to learn newly commissioned songs about climate change. This culminated in a concert at St John’s Kirk in Perth in November 2022, where the boys performed the pieces alongside a jazz band.
Musicianship and Methodology Courses
We continued to run our year-round 10-week online musicianship and methodology courses, which can be credited towards the new British Kodály Certificate, in partnership with the British Kodály Academy and accredited by CPD UK.
BSL Online Signing Choir
Paul Whittaker OBE and Anne Whittaker lead our first ever online signing choir for 7-weeks throughout November and December 2022. We can’t wait for more signing next year!
Thank you to our Education Partner NASUWT.
