<<<  <<  -- 7 --  Robert Hugill    AN ENVIABLE REPUTATION

Last year the NYC did one such collaboration in Coventry, and the Coventry children will be singing at the April 13th gala. In addition, five other such groups will be performing in the foyer before the concert. These singers will have places in the gallery at the concert and will join in with the performance of John Hearn's piece for three choirs, resulting in some 1,000 young performers.

The NYC's chamber choir, Laudibus, has done a number of recordings and has plans for a series of discs on the Delphian label. Their disc of the music of Heinrich Schütz comes out on the day of the gala, with a disc of multi-choir music coming out in the autumn. Appearing in May is an anniversary tribute to Ralph Vaughan Williams, with a disc including some of his rarer choral pieces. The group has already produced a disc of the music of Giles Swayne and a disc of the settings of the Song of Songs. Brewer has a strong interest in world music, so it should come as no surprise to find that the National Youth Choirs sing a remarkably wide range of styles of music. Another disc in planning is one of Baltic music.

As their 25th anniversary gala approaches, the National Youth Choirs go from strength to strength. The gala will be attended by a number of notable alumni and we can be confident that the current crop of singers will provide further distinguished alumni. But more than that, the singers are being provided with skills which help them with modern life and even more importantly they are having fun and doing so by singing fine music, well.