Around the World with VOCES8, Sights Set on Returning Homewards to the Scottish Stage
Euan Williamson has been a singer for as long as he can remember. He grew up in a musical home and was part of his school choirs and orchestras. His love and commitment to singing earned him a place in the National Youth Choir of Scotland, having previously been the youngest member of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus. Fuelled by early encouragement from his teachers, family and friends, Euan is now a member of the world-renowned vocal ensemble VOCES8 and credits his time with NYCOS for providing unmatched preparation.
“My parents have been part of the Edinburgh International Festival for quite a long time now; during the month of August, it’s impossible to get hold of them because they’re usually midway between concerts. The festival programmes would come through the door and one year there was an advert to join the Edinburgh Festival Chorus. Maybe my dad showed it to me or maybe I just saw it, but I auditioned to be part of the chorus. I would’ve been 16 at the time – Christopher [Bell] was running the audition and Stuart Hope was playing piano for me, and it was the first time I met either of them. You had to do an extract from Brahms Requiem and then just a bit of sight singing.
I was at school with Christina McNeill and we did music together. She had grown up doing NYCOS Area Choir [now known as NYCOS Regional Choir], so when I mentioned I was singing with Christopher Bell [NYCOS Artistic Director] in the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, she encouraged me to apply for NYCOS. Knowing me, I probably didn’t think to apply until the day of, so Christina would have taken care of me.”
From an impressively young age, Euan’s love for singing shone brightly in his music. However, when he moved from singing with the Edinburgh Festival Chorus to being a member of the National Youth Choir of Scotland, he realised what NYCOS had to offer him.
“Before I sang with NYCOS I obviously knew Christopher, but I guess I was slightly surprised that there was no drop off in the intensity from the Edinburgh Festival Chorus – in terms of how high the standards to which you are held in NYCOS. The comparison between a youth organisation and a chorus that are doing paying concerts on the international stage – it’s incredible.”
Pictured: Euan’s first NYCOS photoshoot on the gangway of Dundee’s RSS Discovery in 2010.
Having enjoyed a childhood rich with joyful music making, Euan pursued a career as a professional singer. Of all the training and opportunities that prepare him for the professional landscape, he connects his NYCOS experience as being the most crucial component.
“NYCOS taught me the level of preparation that goes into doing something well. Before I was in VOCES8 I was freelancing for a couple of years. If you’re freelancing, you’re trying to take on as much work as you can to pay the bills and you don’t always get as much time as you want to prepare stuff. My VOCES8 job is the first thing that is comparable to NYCOS in terms of the level of time and preparation. In the lead up to my VOCES8 audition I was doing so much practice and had to let other things go by the wayside, and I’m glad I did that.
Singing in NYCOS was about knowing exactly what your part was and how you have to sing, then also being able to know it well enough that you can be spontaneous with it. This is the main thing we work on in VOCES8 – not just being able to know your part from beginning to end but to know everyone else’s parts so we can be musically expressive together.
I remember such an intense rehearsal process in NYCOS – we would drill phrases again and again. Sometimes I was frustrated, but I learned that it led to amazing performances because you can let go of the technical stuff and actually perform something.”
Though Euan’s journey with VOCES8 has far to go, his greatest ambition with the group is to return to Edinburgh and perform for a home crowd.
“Before the pandemic and before I joined VOCES8, they used to go to Japan. They’ve not re-established that link yet but I’d really love to go. Everyone in the group says how amazing it is and that’s where some of their favourite concert halls are. For me though, it would mean a lot to sing at the Edinburgh International Festival with VOCES8. I’ve grown up with it, so being able to come back and do something like that would be very cool, and hopefully it might be possible at some point.
The best thing about NYCOS was being there with people who enjoyed singing as much as I did; spending a week with people who really love singing and wanted to make something great at the end of it. The collective commitment isn’t so consistent when you go through university and different levels of study because there’s other stuff going on in people’s lives, so the focus that you got at NYCOS was great. But it’s the people – being there and working towards the same thing with so many amazing people was pretty cool.”
Since 1996, NYCOS has given transformative musical opportunities to Scotland’s young singers. The stage is set to honour three decades of uplifting young voices throughout 2026. Be part of NYCOS’ 30th anniversary and join the celebration at home in Scotland.