The National Barbershop Youth Chorus herald from all over the country, from Bristol to Leeds. They started with nineteen young barbershoppers who sang at the first performance of the NBYC in 2005, all of whomn were thrilled with the experience. They aged from 10 to 25 and all had a hunger for harmony.
It had long been a dream for a handful of these lads to start a youth chorus. Three men's grit and determination sowed the seed that will undoubtedly develop into a mature singing machine. They met at the barbershopper's "Harmony College" on August 26th 2005, and their aim was to fully learn and perform two songs for a show on the Saturday evening. The audience consisted of 300 of their peers and friends, possibly the most difficult of crowds to perform to. Since this first meeting, the NBYC has had rehearsals hosted by barbershop clubs around the country. Huge thanks must to go the Leicester, West Midlands and Chess Valley clubs, who hosted these rehearsals and made us feel truly welcome.
Over this time, the chorus gained a number of new members, built its repertoire and honed its sound ready for their first public engagement. Not only that, but they had tremendous fun, building new friendships and strengthening old ones. They have performed at the BABS 2006 Convention in Harrogate, both on the Friday night show and as contest mike warmers. For some of the members, this was their first time singing at Convention, a truly memorable experience!
Others sang with their home choruses, and some also performed in the Quartet Contest. The support of the audience was greatly appreciated by the guys, and they'd like to extend their thanks to all of you that were there to cheer them on.
Their first "external" gig came shortly after this, at a gala dinner held by the Mentor Foundation, an internation non-government, non-profit organsiation with a focus on drug misuse and the promotion of well-being and health of young people. This prestigious event was hosted by Her Majesty the Queen of Sweden, and was held at the Natural History Museum, with the NBYC on hand to entertain the 300 guests as they arrived before the dinner. Not bad for a first sing-out!
