Our vision is of a world where well-led choral singing enriches everyone’s lives and where abcd enables every leader of choral singing in the UK easily to access appropriate support for their development.
The Association of British Choral Directors (abcd) is the only UK organisation which is devoted entirely to supporting those leading choral music, both amateur and professional. We are committed to promoting, improving and maintaining opportunities for the professional development of all those leading singing of any kind, whether in the classroom or in the community. Our 800+ members represent nearly 2000 choral groups and include teachers, composers, singers and students, leading singing of all kinds.
What we do
- We run courses and workshops throughout the UK, using a network of the best choral leadership trainers in the country, including training for teachers covering conducting and vocal technique and repertoire, a young choral leaders’ programme and conducting courses from Initial to Advanced, from one-day workshops and masterclasses to courses running over several months.
- We offer support, resources and advice for all choral leaders and their choirs. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic our activity has moved online and our COVID-19 portal provides information for everyone seeking to find ways of working safely. Our online resources cover practical tips and advice for choral leaders of all kinds.
- During the pandemic we have lobbied tirelessly on behalf of our members and the wider choral world for fair guidelines for all choirs, for research into singing safely and for financial support for professional musicians.
- Open to members and non-members, our regular webinar series covers a wide range of topics: take part live on a Saturday morning, or buy the recording any time and watch at your leisure.
- For over thirty years we have run an annual Convention, a unique national forum for choral leaders with leading practitioners from the UK and abroad and performances from invited international choirs. In 2020 we ran our first virtual festival weekend, with webinars from international and UK presenters, virtual exhibition and recorded resources, supporting choral leaders, music publishers and composers.
To find out more about us, see our main website by clicking here.