Who are we?
Cornwall Youth Choirs is a family of choirs for children and young people aged 2-25 living in Cornwall. We are an incredible group of talented young people, supported by dedicated music teachers and a growing team of parent volunteers. We all live in one of the most deprived areas in Europe and are battling the geography, rurality and poor infrastructure which make it so hard for many of us to access centralised activities like choirs. During the pandemic, many of these barriers were removed and through online rehearsals and digital performances, we started to realise that we were good. We were great, in fact! We continued to rehearse, to work hard, to break down barriers and to make a name for ourselves on a national, albeit digital, stage. Our first big live performance post-lockdown was at the youth proms at the Royal Albert Hall and since then, we have dreamed of attending an international choral festival alongside other high profile youth choirs. Click to watch our performance.
However, despite having the talent and energy and ambition to succeed, post-Covid Cornwall has presented even more hurdles than were there before. Fuel prices have rocketed, affecting our rehearsal schedule, the cost of living crisis has hit our families, our schools are putting less and less value on music education and crucially, Cornwall Council axed the Music Hub last March, leaving us with no option but to fund our own dreams.
A note from the choir leaders:
We know that music, and particularly choral singing, is a very powerful tool in addressing the mounting mental health crisis in our young people. With schools cutting provision to music education in favour of post-Covid catch up programmes in Maths & English, plus Cornwall’s many small schools not having the budget for high quality music provision, we know that community youth choirs are a vital resource for many talented young people. Cornwall Youth Choirs provide a safe and supportive environment for all its members, with high quality musical and vocal tuition. Unfortunately, the current Music Hub budget will only cover the basic monthly meetings and we know that they can achieve so much more, given the opportunity. We are enormously proud of them, we know how much potential there is in this very special youth group and we'll do whatever we can to support their dreams.
This Crowdfunder is aiming to raise £10,000 to go towards the costs
of taking over 50 of our older members to compete in the Hull International Choir Competition in April of 2023, building on a growing national interest in their talent, showcased in recent high-profile events. Enabling our young people to perform on international stages will build their confidence, raise aspirations and share Cornwall’s strong cultural heritage and identity through music in a way in which they will remember for the rest of their lives.
Here are a few of the national projects that we have been involved in lately, and which have led to our current ambition. Please click through them, enjoy, and give generously to support our dreams.
Recent projects...
Recording for BrittenPears Arts 2021 of a new work by composer Russel Heppelwhite and poet Michael Rosen...
Cornwall My Home, a virtual choir project performed in March 2020 at the start of lock down, viewed by a global audience...
'When I was a Boy', promoting male singing through collaborations with local male voice choirs to create a multi-generational sound...
We collaborated on a few vocal projects around the time of the G7 in June 2021. One was the creation of a new work by Cornish composer Russell Pascoe. We also performed for a delegation from South Korea as part of the G7...
Music for Youth Proms 2021 in the Royal Albert Hall singing Coldplay’s iconic ‘Fix You’ with a Cornish environmental twist...
Why we need your help...
Performing at the Hull International Choir Competition will give our members a chance to see where they stand with other choirs in this country and abroad. It will enable us to build on the work done over lockdown and since, and will help the members to form strong bonds and build lasting friendships.
The cost of taking 50 singers to Hull for the duration of the competition and to compete in 2 classes, will be around £350 per member plus food, plus travel. We want to be able to subsidise this as much as we can so that ALL eligible young people who want to are able to attend. It is a very exciting time and we intend to also approach corporate sponsors and national funders. But because these things take time, we need YOUR help to get the choir there and hopefully bring home the trophy to Cornwall.
What you can do...
DONATE. Please share far and wide with family, grandparents, colleagues, businesses, neighbours & friends and give what you can. Donations of any size are welcomed and will be spent directly on helping the youth choirs get to Hull.
VOLUNTEER. We need a group of parents to run a fundraising committee to boost our efforts. The more additional funds we raise, the more opportunities will be available to our young people. Email: [email protected] to express an interest.
International competitions are just the start. There is so much potential. But we need your help! Donate to be part of this exciting new pathway for Cornwall Youth Choirs.