BYC is an award winning organisation that was established in 2009 by Mat Wright MBE and Keith Norton. It is a registered charity run by volunteers that seeks to provide outstanding opportunities for young people who live in Barnsley, and has developed a reputation for excellence. The choir is currently the highest ranked choir from Great Britain in the Interkultur World Rankings. Barnsley Youth Choir was presented with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (MBE) in January 2018, the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK, and this was in recognition for the outstanding support and dedication shown by the volunteer team that runs the choir.
BYC is highly inclusive and the choir’s ten sections consist of around 700 singers aged 0-24 years old. The choir also helped to establish a community adult choir, Barnsley Singers, that now has around 150 members. The choir has released two albums, performed on National TV and Radio and has raised a significant sums of money for local charities.
The use of the Kodaly system, through a close association with choirs from the Kodaly School in Kecskemet and Laszlo Duranyik, has been significant in developing young people with little prior experience or formal training. The choir has had the opportunity to work with some of the world’s finest conductors and choirs in this country and abroad, and has appeared in outstanding international venues. The choir is unusual in that it maintains a wide and diverse repertoire including Popular, Gospel, Spiritual, Folk, World and more Classical genres, and audiences appreciate the variety of music performed in concerts. BYC has developed a significant international reputation and has represented Great Britain in nine major competitions including the European Choir Games and World Choir Games, winning eight of them, including three Grand Prix titles. BYC regularly tours internationally and connects without standing international partners. This is reciprocated with a number of outstanding international choirs and choral leaders who visit Barnsley each year to work with BYC.
The choir has developed close associations with the Aurin and Miraculum Choirs from Hungary, Tuks Camerata from South Africa and choirs from the Adolf Fredriks School in Sweden. It has also performed with outstanding choirs from this country including The Sixteen, Farnham Youth Choir and the National Youth Choir of Great Britain Fellowship. BYC has worked with high profile soloists and has been conducted by and received training from some of the world’s best choral leaders. The choir has commissioned new music from important composers including Paul Mealor and Jake Runestad.
BYC prides itself on providing exceptional experiences for young people and engenders a sense of aspiration. Barnsley is an area of significant deprivation and being a member of BYC helps young people to develop skills and qualities that will support them throughout their lives. The choir remains steadfastly ambitious; its mission is to provide as many children as possible with extraordinary experiences and ensure that no child is left behind. It seeks to inspire and change lives through music and provide life-changing opportunities for those involved.