Côr Skills is BACK for 2025!
By partnering with the National Music Plan in Powys, we ran a series of taster workshops before hosting a residency on the 24th-27th of February, in Lampeter.
Côr Skills is a choral development project which aims to ensure young singers in Wales can develop the confidence and skills needed to access a wide range of vocal and choral opportunities – from the National Youth Choir of Wales to county choirs and plenty more besides.
Targeting young singers between the ages of 14-18, this project aims to annually engage with 40 young participants from a diverse range of backgrounds in a fun, engaging, and interactive way – enabling them to take their talent and skills to the next level.
Kindly supported by a number of organisations including ABRSM and The Backstage Trust, the project offers opportunities for participants to develop their vocal and general musicianship skills – working alongside a team of expert singing leaders whilst having plenty of fun along the way!
Working with the National Youth Choir of Wales’ conductor Tim Rhys-Evans, a pilot version of the project was first delivered in 2018/19 and we’re delighted to have been developing the project further in 2022 and 2023.
In 2023, the project experienced huge success in the form of our very first Côr Skills Residency, which took place in the Urdd Centre in Cardiff Bay in February, and in July we hosted our second Cor Skills residency of the year at the University of Wales, Trinity St. David, Carmarthen. Aimed at current and new participants, this residency built on the work we had already begun with young singers. It gave them their first opportunity to perform in public as a group alongside the National Youth Choir of Wales at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama!
These four-day residential course offered participants the opportunity to work with an expert team of singing leaders and special guests; giving participants the opportunity to develop their vocal technique, prepare for performances and auditions and develop their musical theory skills through participation in a series of specially tailored sessions. There was also a range of fun social events throughout the residency and plenty of opportunities to make new friends.