Youth Choir
National Youth Choir of Wales
The National Youth Choir of Wales was formed by Tŷ Cerdd (as the Welsh Amateur Music Federation) in 1984, to support both the long-standing choral tradition of Wales and the development needed for that tradition to flourish.
Members of the Choir, who are aged between 16 and 21 years, are drawn from all parts of Wales, and auditioned annually. They meet for occasional weekend courses, but the Choir’s main work is concentrated in a week of intensive rehearsals in the summer, followed by a series of concerts.
The majority of tutors and staff are drawn from former members of the Choir - the Choir’s President, Bryn Terfel, was himself a founder member – and musical directors are appointed for a three-year period. Former conductors include George Guest, Gregory Rose, John Hugh Thomas, Simon Halsey, Ralph Allwood, Jean Stanley Jones, David Rowland and Islwyn Evans. The NYCW has given concerts in London, Berlin, Leipzig, Bruges, Brussels, Paris, Vienna and Budapest, in addition to performing throughout Wales, at many of the major cathedrals in England and at the BBC Proms. It broadcasts regularly on television and radio.