Farnham Youth Choir

About Farnham Youth Choir

Farnham Youth Choir, under the direction of Patrick Barrett, is one of the UK’s leading youth choirs. Based in the town of Farnham in Surrey, members can join our Training Choir from the age of seven before moving up to the Junior Choir and then onto Farnham Youth Choir, Senior Choir. FYC offers exceptional performance opportunities of sacred and secular music covering many different styles. The choir undertakes annual tours both in the UK and abroad and has performed in many prestigious venues in London such as the Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall and The Menuhin Hall. In addition, FYC regularly commissions and records new music. Most recently the choir worked with the composer Russell Hepplewhite and lyricist Helen Eastman to record three new songs celebrating eminent women from history. These Herstory songs were released on Spotify in time for International Women’s Day.

Having won two gold medals at the 2019 Interkultur European Choir Games in Gothenburg, the choir is planning to participate in the World Choir Games in New Zealand 2024. FYC will also compete in an International Choir Competition in the UK in April 2023.

The choir was founded in 1984 by David and Gillian Victor-Smith, under whose direction the choir won a number of national and international competitions. Now under the direction of Patrick Barrett, FYC is developing ambitious plans to compete in more international competitions and festivals as well as expanding its programme of school assemblies for children from the age of 6. The FYC bursary scheme was established in 2022 to enable all children in the Farnham area to join our choirs and learn singing and musicianship at the highest level.

Patrick Barrett, conductor

Patrick Barrett is a conductor specialising in choral music and opera. He is currently Chorus Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s Youth Choruses, University of Reading Choir, Irish Youth Training Choir and the award-winning Farnham Youth Choirs.

He works with the Royal Opera House Youth Opera Company and conducted the world premiere of Lewis Murphy’s A Different Story in the Linbury Theatre. He is currently preparing the youth company for main stage performances of Massenet’s Werther.

Previous engagements include preparing children’s choruses for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and English National Opera’s new production of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen.

Patrick was the conductor of the University of Birmingham’s Upper Voice’s Choir and Brockham Choral Society.

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