Hi Everyone,
I imagine you've noticed that the site's looking a little different today. Don't worry, everything's still where it used to be! Hopefully the new layout should make things a little easier to read (and just be a bit prettier generally).
Huge thanks to Duncan for providing the fantastic logo!
Cheers,
Tom
On March 8th the NBYC traveled down to Coventry to prepare for the second stage of the BBC3 Choir of the Year competition.
On the morning of March 9th all 13 of the guys got up from sleeping at the very nice Coventry Boys club, on the Dojo floor. (Very classy) We headed down to the Warwick Art Center at Warwick University to register for the competition very early on the Sunday morning, 8AM to be precise.
When registered we warmed up elegantly, singing a very soft "Heart of my Heart" before running through our competition set; 'Good Luck Charm and Once Upon a Time'.
We were collected by a very nice young lady, responsible for showing choirs into the Auditorium. We took to our seats, shortly receiving a mass warm up from BBC3 Choir of the Year vocal coach.
Before we knew it it was 9:20, show time, we were the first choir on stage. As we stood in the wings it was time to start the engines, everyone of the 13 of us were prepared, ready to give a good start to the morning.
When we walked on stage we got a very pleasing response from most of the other 14 odd competing choirs. We managed to give a superb performance and received an even bigger response from the audience yet again!
Within the competition there were a number of amazing choirs, of different ages. At the end of the session, while the judges gathered the scores together to give out the results, the vocal coach came out to give a vocal workshop. Everyone joined together to sing a spiritual together. It was such a 'buzz' and so much fun to sing with so many different people as a unit.
After the workshop, it was time for the judges to give their verdict. We were pleased to be one of the choirs of the day! Giving us a place in the National selection process.
Now we wait! Thank you to 13 guys that managed to make the competition, lets hope we hear good news from the organizers.
What an experience! What a chorus! NBYC!
In Harmony! Carl x
A special show with following perfomances:
Finesse
At the Y Centre
East Street,
Leicester
Tickets available directly from the box office 0116 255 7066
All,
This years BABS convention in Scarborough is being hailed by many as one of the best yet, and this sentiment is certainly carried through to the members of the National Barbershop Youth Chorus, as we feel that the weekend signalled that the chorus is definitely here to stay.
Firstly, the quartet competition had a huge stream of youth singers running through it, definitely the most I have remembered in my lifetime. All four of the youth quartets placed in top 10, with Rough Cut reaching the finals on their first time out, This Way Up getting their first medal, and Cadence winning the hearts of most of the audience by winning both the Young Quartet Award and the Novice Quartet Award.
Although the Chorus was not present in its entirety (we now have nearly forty members), we were really pleased with our performances over the course of the weekend. In the competition we scored a fraction shy of 70%, which as you can imagine, we are over the moon about, particularly as we had none of our ‘mentors’ on stage with us (even though they helped us no-end in the run up to convention). We also sang at every opportunity we could find over the weekend, in afterglows, corridors and toilets, and our performance on the Sunday night (along with Tim and John from Realtime) was a particular highlight.
A few people came up to us over the weekend and commented upon the number of young people at the convention being the highest they can remember. Whether this is fact or just because we were loud and outgoing I am unsure, however I hope that you are in agreement with me that this is a positive step in the right direction for the Association. I hope that we proved to you that not all young people are thugs, and that when a group of young guys get together with the right thing in mind, great things can happen.
As is traditional, I am left with a few people to thank. Obviously, Timm Barkworth and his team of Rob Barber, Dunc Whinyates and Andy Foster have been instrumental in setting up the chorus and helping them grow (and hopefully continue to grow) into what they are now. These guys were only appointed two years ago and look what’s happened! Also, Bill Harvey, Alan Goldsmith and the legend that is Mike Lofthouse for all their continued support. You may have noticed our new uniforms over the weekend, and this was mainly down to the generosity of Mike and his team. On the subject of uniforms, we should thank our ‘Chorus Mother’, Shirley Course, who worked incredibly hard to get us looking so spick and span. Also, Phil Mobsby and Mike Abbott have continued to work hard for us behind the scenes. Similar thanks go to the countless people who have coached us over our lifetime as a chorus.
A massive thank you goes to the Association, who without the financial support of the membership via the Harmony Foundation, the chorus would simply not exist. In a similar vein, we would like to thank you all for you support and encouragement over the weekend and any other appearances we have made as chorus. Without this, I doubt whether the members would have the tremendous commitment which they show.
On a personal note, and I hope that BABS will support me on this one, I would like to thank all of my friends in the chorus, who are committed, friendly, and mature beyond their years. Like I said, we are showing what can be done when a group of like-minded individuals get together with the right thing in mind, and I hope that we all did you proud over the weekend, and, with your continued support (and permission), we can continue to do you proud long into the future.
Yours sincerely,
Alan Hughes,
Chairman, NBYC
The members' section has now been updated. If you are a chorus member, you can now gain access to the protected area with your usual Bulletin Board login.
If you are having trouble getting into the Members' pages, please contact the webmaster for assistance.
Welcome to the home of the National Barbershop Youth Chorus, a group of 35 young barbershoppers and growing!
Our members hail from all over the UK, a group of under-26s who come together for a shared love of barbershop singing, and to have a good time!
Keep an eye on this site for details of our upcoming events, opportunities to come see us, and, if you're a fellow young barbershopper, join us! So come on in, have a look around, we're happy to see you.
