Tees Valley Youth Choir
Encyclopedia
Tees Valley Youth Choir is a choir made up of 13- to 19-year-olds from the boroughs of Stockton-on-Tees
, Hartlepool
, Middlesbrough
, Darlington
, and Redcar & Cleveland. It also draws some members from further afield, particularly North Yorkshire
and surrounding areas.
The choir was established in 1993 by John Forsyth MBE (County Music Adviser for Cleveland at the time). Since then, invitations to perform at National and International events have been a regular feature. John Forsyth MBE conducted the choir, which has produced many professional and semi-professional singers over the years, until summer 2010. He handed the baton to Andy King at his retirement concert at The Sage Gateshead in September 2010. Successful yearly European concert tours have taken the choir to Spain
, Italy
, Hungary
, Slovakia
, Belgium
, Catalonia
, France
, Poland
, and the Czech Republic
.
In its busy schedule, the choir performed at The Sage Gateshead in August 2006, as part of a grand choral concert for the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD).
In the summer of 2008 Howard Goodall
CBE, the well known British composer and presenter, asked the choir to perform his requiem "Eternal Light" at the Newcastle Theatre Royal in March 2009.
), "Lully Lulla" (Kenneth Leighton
) and "Yver" (Debussy).
TVYC came 2nd to Chantage
, separated only by 4 and a half marks. 400 choirs entered the competition from the start almost a year beforehand.
The choir has been successfully auditioned for the finals of the National Festival of Music for Youth
multiple times, most recently in July 2011. The choir performed at Adrian Boult Hall
in Birmingham and achieved the highest award for their renditions of "Bogorodise Devo" (Rachmaninoff), "Armottoman Osa" (Mia Makaroff), "Contre Qui, Rose" (Morten Lauridsen
) and "The Battle of Jericho" (Moses Hogan
).
and the Tees Valley Youth Brass Band.
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
, Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, and Redcar & Cleveland. It also draws some members from further afield, particularly North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
and surrounding areas.
The choir was established in 1993 by John Forsyth MBE (County Music Adviser for Cleveland at the time). Since then, invitations to perform at National and International events have been a regular feature. John Forsyth MBE conducted the choir, which has produced many professional and semi-professional singers over the years, until summer 2010. He handed the baton to Andy King at his retirement concert at The Sage Gateshead in September 2010. Successful yearly European concert tours have taken the choir to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
Concerts and performances
Tees Valley Youth Choir performs many concerts throughout the year. As well as performing in the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire, the choir does lots of concerts throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.In its busy schedule, the choir performed at The Sage Gateshead in August 2006, as part of a grand choral concert for the Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD).
In the summer of 2008 Howard Goodall
Howard Goodall
210px|thumb|Howard Goodall at St. John the Baptist Church in Devon, United Kingdom, May 2009Howard Lindsay Goodall CBE is a British composer of musicals, choral music and music for television...
CBE, the well known British composer and presenter, asked the choir to perform his requiem "Eternal Light" at the Newcastle Theatre Royal in March 2009.
Competitions
In 2006, TVYC was successful in reaching the finals in the Youth category of the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year competition and also won a "wildcard" judges' decision place through to the Grand Final (all categories). Both finals were held at the Cardiff Millennium Centre. The choir sang first in the Grand Final on December 10, singing "Sing Joyfully" (William ByrdWilliam Byrd
William Byrd was an English composer of the Renaissance. He wrote in many of the forms current in England at the time, including various types of sacred and secular polyphony, keyboard and consort music.-Provenance:Knowledge of Byrd's biography expanded in the late 20th century, thanks largely...
), "Lully Lulla" (Kenneth Leighton
Kenneth Leighton
Kenneth Leighton was a British composer and pianist. His compositions include much Anglican church music, and many pieces for choir and for piano as well as concertos, symphonies, much chamber music and an opera. He wrote a well-known setting of the Coventry Carol...
) and "Yver" (Debussy).
TVYC came 2nd to Chantage
Chantage
Chantage is a London based chamber choir conducted by James Davey. Drawing singers from all over the country and all walks of life, the choir won the 2006 Radio 3 Choir of the Year competition....
, separated only by 4 and a half marks. 400 choirs entered the competition from the start almost a year beforehand.
The choir has been successfully auditioned for the finals of the National Festival of Music for Youth
Music for Youth
Music for Youth is a British charity which provides free access to educational and performance opportunities for groups of young musicians and audiences through a series of festivals and concerts throughout the UK. 2 million children have taken part in Music for Youth events since 1971...
multiple times, most recently in July 2011. The choir performed at Adrian Boult Hall
Adrian Boult Hall
The Adrian Boult Hall is the main concert hall of the Birmingham Conservatoire in central Birmingham, England. It is named after the conductor Adrian Boult....
in Birmingham and achieved the highest award for their renditions of "Bogorodise Devo" (Rachmaninoff), "Armottoman Osa" (Mia Makaroff), "Contre Qui, Rose" (Morten Lauridsen
Morten Lauridsen
Morten Johannes Lauridsen is an American composer. He was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and has been a professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music for more than 30 years.-Biography:Lauridsen was born February 27, 1943, in...
) and "The Battle of Jericho" (Moses Hogan
Moses Hogan
Moses George Hogan was an African-American composer and arranger of choral music. He was best known for his very popular and accessible settings of spirituals. Hogan was a pianist, conductor and arranger of international renown...
).
Members
Every year the choir loses several members as they leave the area to continue their studies at various universities. Many TVYC members are also members of the award-winning Tees Valley Youth OrchestraTees Valley Youth Orchestra
The Tees Valley Youth Orchestra is the flagship orchestra of the Tees Valley Music Service, and welcomes the best music students across the four boroughs of the Tees Valley . The orchestra also draws some members from further afield, such as North Yorkshire...
and the Tees Valley Youth Brass Band.