National Boys Choir

The NYCoS National Boys Choir was formed in 2002 and gives boys with unchanged and changed voices a unique opportunity to sing together to the highest standards. Membership is granted by audition on a yearly basis and is open to boys aged 10 - 16 years who are born, resident or studying in Scotland.

Structured in three sections - Junior Corps, NBC and Changed Voices - the choir meets annually around Easter time for a residential course where the time is divided into full rehearsals, sectional rehearsals and musicianship games sessions. Concerts are organised at the end of the course and at other times, as appropriate. The choir has performed in Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Linlithgow, Londonderry, Paisley, Stirling, Kendal, Dumfries, Galloway, Dundee and Aberdeen.

The Choirs

National Boys Choir sings in up to three parts and is made up of unchanged voices. The flagship group within NBC, this choir undertakes additional concerts and touring where appropriate. The choir has performed at the Edinburgh International Festival and BBC Proms in the Park in Glasgow. It has toured to Northern Ireland in 2006, Kendal and Dumfries in 2007 and Dundee and Aberdeen in 2008. NBC and Changed Voices took part in the BBC Songs of Praise performance with NYCoS and some of the Area Choirs in 2006. Membership of NBC depends on experience and not just age, and so a younger boy with lots of experience may gain membership of NBC over an older boy with less experience. NBC is conducted by Christopher Bell.

Junior Corps is for the youngest boys, allowing them to gain choral experience, singing less advanced repertoire than NBC. Junior Corps has its own director and undertakes the same variety of full rehearsals, sectional rehearsals and musicianship games sessions.

Changed Voice Section encourages young boys to continue to sing through the stages of their changing voice by having a choir made up of tenors and baritones. The changing process can occur fairly quickly, and there have been instances where a boy auditions at the beginning of the year and gains a place in NBC only to find by the time of the course his voice has changed. Once a boy's voice changes he simply moves to the CV section. The Changed Voice Section has performed at the Festival of British Youth Orchestra in  Edinburgh in 2006 and 2007 and toured to Dumfries and Galloway in 2008. It is conducted by Christopher Bell and prepared and coached by Christopher Breckenridge.

Singing Days
An exciting new development in 2008 was the addition of singing days for boys aged 9, and boys aged 10 and 11 who may need some more singing experience before being ready to attend the residential course. Boys are offered the chance to attend two singing days during the summer terms. These are led by experienced NYCoS staff and each day includes a mixture of playing musicianship games and learning songs. The final day finishes with a short presentation where family and friends can hear what the boys have learned.

For more information about the NYCoS National Boys Choir, contact Ruth Townsend, National Choirs Manager.