THE Wiltshire youth choir, a county youth choir programme aimed at young singers aged 12-18, has launched by Wiltshire Music Centre (WMC) this month.

Commissioned by Wiltshire Music Connect and delivered by WMC, the Wiltshire youth choir programme will run free come and sing. Taster Day recruitment events in Bradford on Avon, Chippenham and Salisbury in April, as well as an intensive 3-day singing course in August which will be followed by a sharing concert.

Cassie Tait, head of creative learning at WMC said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people in Wiltshire to develop their singing and make new friends. No experience is necessary, and we’ll be exploring a multitude of genres. Recent research confirms that singing is great for the body and has huge mental health benefits. We are really excited to see the impact these sessions will have on the young people that take part.”

The aim of the choir is to bring passionate young singers together from across the county outside term time to explore a variety of different musical genres and styles and meet like-minded people. Designed to supplement the already rich choral tradition in schools and communities across the county, the Wiltshire Youth Choir will give cross-county opportunities for singers to perform and share their passion, as well as improve their technique and performance skills.

The project will work closely with local choirs, schools and singing groups under the guidance of three experienced professional choir leaders:

Tim Gilvin is a multi-award-winning composer/lyricist and musical director. He mainly works in musical theatre, and his shows include Stay Awake, Jake (VAULT Festival 2016) and Unfortunate (Edinburgh 2019, London 2020). More locally, Tim is engaged in creative music making with young people in the county, and occasionally works as a music leader in Wiltshire schools.

Lynsey Docherty is an opera singer, producer and vocal animateur. She has sung leading roles for soprano at venues across the UK. She has created singing projects for theatres, festivals, orchestras and choirs nationwide and in diverse environments from prisons, to orphanages in Tajikistan. Lynsey is the founder and artistic director of Celebrate Voice, an international festival of singing based in Salisbury.

Felicity Courage is founder and artistic director of performing arts club Courage Performers, and leads youth and adult choirs in West Wiltshire. She has been Performing Arts and Music lecturer at City of Bath College, Chippenham College and Erlestoke Prison. She is a vocalist, pianist and clarinettist for vintage jazz group The Tickety Boos.

The taster days will run on: April 11, 10.30-1pm at Salisbury Arts Centre, April 17, 10-12.30pm at Wiltshire Music Centre and April 17, 2-4.30pm at The Cause Venue, Chippenham.

Places are free and you can sign-up to come along and find out more about the Wiltshire Youth Choir today at: www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk/WYC