Skip to content

Principal Director: James Slimings

Age range: 13 - 18 years

The County Youth Choir meets most Wednesdays during the autumn, spring and summer terms from 6.15pm - 8pm at Mid Herts Centre for Music & Arts in Hatfield.

Recognised as one of Britain's leading youth choirs, Hertfordshire County Youth Choir is open to vocalists up to the age of 18, who would like to engage with high quality and varied choral repertoire with likeminded singers from across Hertfordshire. HCYC meet for weekly rehearsals and offer inspiring performance opportunities throughout the year. Singing in HCYC will help support you in improving your abilities as a singer in an ensemble, as well as developing your sight reading and aural skills.  

The County Youth Choir's reputation leads to unexpected prestigious invitations, sometimes at short notice, so they may not always appear in our yearly plans.

HCYC accept applications throughout the year. To apply, please follow the link below: 

Hertfordshire County Youth Choir - Changing Voices 

We would like to invite all aspiring singers, who are going through a voice change, the chance to come together in a safe environment where they can learn music that is tailored to suit their voices. If you would like to learn new music, make new friends, have fun singing and work with our enthusiastic principal director James Slimings, you are in the right place.

Changing Voices will go ahead but without the workshop on Sat 21st October, due to lack of availability on that day. 

Rehearsal sessions:

  • Wednesday 8 November 2023
  • Wednesday 22 November 2023
  • Wednesday 6 December 2023

Rehearsals take place from 5pm – 6pm at Mid Herts Music Centre.

End of term concert: Saturday 16 December

Reduced fees are as follows (due to cancelled workshop):

  • £50 for the three rehearsals + concert (non-CYC member rate)
  • £30 for the three rehearsal + concert (CYC member rate)

Hertfordshire County Youth Training Choir pilot

We would like to invite all aspiring singers, from Years 5 – 8, the chance to take part in our new training choir. If you would like to learn new music, make new friends, have fun singing and work with our enthusiastic principal director James Slimings, you are in the right place.

There are three rehearsals to attend:

  • Wednesday 1 November 2023
  • Wednesday 15 November 2023
  • Wednesday 29 November 2023

Rehearsals take place from 5pm – 6pm at Mid Herts Music Centre, Hatfield.

End of term concert: Saturday 16 December

Members of both choirs will also have the chance to perform in our next concert in the beautiful St Etheldreda’s Church in Hatfield on Saturday 16 December 2023 alongside our Hertfordshire County Youth Choir!

If you would like to be part of either of these fantastic opportunities and develop your unique musical voice, please contact Beth Hopkins at countymusicenquiries@hertfordshire.gov.uk for more information, or to sign up, please follow the links below.

Forthcoming Events

'Winter Around the World' - End of term concert with Hertfordshire County Youth Choir, Training Choir, and Changing Voices

Saturday 16 December at St Etheldreda's Church in Hatfield. Concert at 6pm, featuring the Hertfordshire County Youth Choir, Training Choir, and Changing Voices Choir, joined by special guests from Electric Umbrella's Big Yellow Choir!

Tickets are now available to purchase here: Hertfordshire County Youth Choir - 'Winter Around The World' Tickets, Sat 16 Dec 2023 at 18:00 | Eventbrite

Please note that tickets will only be available online and not on the door.

Recent Events

October 2023: Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival. Members of HCYC performed Haydn's Creation in the Festival Finale on Sunday 1 October 2023. 

July 2023: Saturday 15 July HCYC Summer Concert at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield. Concert programme featuring Eric Whitacre's 'Animal Crackers' Vol I & II

Hertfordshire Schools' Gala 2023: Singing as part of the SATB massed choir at the 2023 Herts Schools' Gala at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 30th April, 1.45pm and 7.45pm.

Spring 2023: Combined Choral Concert with Taplow Youth Choir and singers from Parmiter's School at Watford School of Music.

Christmas 2022: Joint performance of John WIlliams' 'Three Holiday Songs' from Home Alone with HSSO at Haileybury School.

December 2022: A performance as part of the Gabrieli ROAR programme at Ely Cathedral, alongside Gabrieli Consort and Players.

Spring 2022: Joint concert with Cantate on 27th March in Bishop’s Stortford. This followed on from the collaboration with Cantate in October at Hatfield House singing Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb.

Autumn 2021: 3rd October - Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival Concert with Cantate performing ‘Rejoice in the Lamb’ – Britten and ‘Vielle priere bouddhique’ - Lili Boulanger. 

13th November - Gabrieli Roar concert. Haydn The Creation with Gabrieli Consort at Ely Cathedral.

Summer 2021: 30th JuneInformal end of term outdoor concert to parents at Mid Herts Centre for Music & Arts

Hertfordshire Schools' Gala 2020 at the Royal Albert Hall, Sunday 8th March 1.45pm and 7.45pm

Autumn 2019: 22nd September open rehearsal with Monteverdi; 30th November - 1st December Residential at Academy Residences St Albans, with concert on 1st December (Semi-staged performance of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas) with musicians from the English Baroque Soloists

CBeebies Prom: Royal Albert Hall, 20th, 21st, 22nd July 2019
Members of CYC rehearsed and performed at this filmed Prom for BBC's CBeebies. 

Repertoire included:
Puccini Humming Chorus; Zimmer Earth

CONCERT 'From The Heart': St Peter's Church, St Albans Saturday 23rd March 2019 7pm - joint concert with choirs from Dame Alice Owen's School.
Conductor Victoria Longdon
Accompanist Martin Sanders-Hewett
Repertoire included:
Earth Wind and Fire September; Morley Fyer Fyer; Des Prez El Grillo; Lauridsen Chansons des Roses. Joint with Dame Alice Owen's Choirs: Arr. Longdon Seasons of Love

CONCERT St Francis of Assisi Church, Welwyn Garden City Saturday 24th November 2018 7pm
Conductor Victoria Longdon
Accompanist Martin Sanders-Hewett
Cello Doraly Gill; Violin Hasan Isingor
Repertoire included:
J.S. Bach's Jesu Meine Freude; Mauersberger's Wie Liegt Die Stadt So Wust; Faure's Cantique de Jean Racine and Nocturne No.6 in D Flat; Cecilia McDowall's Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo 

Hertfordshire Schools' Gala 2018 in Royal Albert Hall, Sunday 11th March 1.45pm and 7.45pm
David Wilcocks Sing (after Widor's Toccata)
Will Todd If I Had Wings - Commissioned for this world premiere performance
David Bowie (arr. Basford) Starman
Joey Tempest (arr. Basford) The Final Countdown

CONCERT in St George's Chapel, St George's School, Saturday 25th November 2017 7pm
Conductor Victoria Longdon
Accompanist Martin Sanders-Hewett
SoloistsTom Isherwood & Benjamin Carnell
Repertoire included:
Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantastia on Christmas Carols & Wassail Song; John Tavener's A Christmas Choral Collection; Will Todd's My Lord Has Come 

CONCERT in St Peter's Church, St Albans, Saturday 11th March 7pm, with the Gabrieli Consort, Cantate and the Taplow Youth Choir.

Repertoire:
Haydn Harmoniemesse

CONCERT Saturday 3rd December 2017, St John's Church Boxmoor, 7.30pm 
Conductor Victoria Longdon
Piano Alex Montaque & Martin Sanders-Hewett
Kit Jeremiah Joshua Wallace 
Electric Bass
Shannon St. Luce
Repertoire:
Burton Rivers of Babylon & Feel the Spirit
Harvey Battle of Jericho
Jackson/Milner and Smith Higher and Higher 
Simone I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free 
Hawkins/Read Going up a Yonder
Campbell/Burrell Can't Give up Now
Houston I Wanna Dance with Somebody 
Smallwood arr. Doreen Rao Total Praise 
Franklin arr. Dan Galbraith Hosanna 
Ashford and Simpson Ain't No Mountain High Enough  

CONCERT Monday 4th July 2016, 7pm in Ely Cathedral 
Conductor Paul McCreesh 
Mendelssohn Hear My Prayer  
Wesley Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace 
Wesley Blessed be the God and Father  
Elgar Give unto the Lord 
Howells Gloucester Service Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis 

Summer Residential 2nd - 4th July 2016 in Cambridge as part of the Gabrieli Roar Project.

County Activites Team contact information

Email: countymusicenquiries@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Tel.: 01438 843797  

We are based at Hertfordshire Music Service Central Office, Mid-Herts Centre for Music & Arts, Birchwood Avenue, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 0PS.