British Columbia Youth Choir (BCYC)

Come join the BC Youth Choir from May 24-26, 2024 in Langley!

*The British Columbia Youth Choir 2023 in Nanaimo.*

The B.C. Youth Choir is an auditioned provincial honour choir comprised of singers aged 16-25 from across the province. The choir meets and performs annually during May in conjunction with the BC Choral Federation’s Chorfest event. It’s a fun-filled weekend of rehearsing and performing incredible music at a high level!

The B.C. Youth Choir is unique amongst Canadian provincial youth choirs as it is run by youth, for youth.

The choir is directed each year by a renowned and inspirational choral conductor. Past conductors include:

Jon Washburn
Frances Roberts
Peter Taylor
Kevin Zakresky
Debra Cairns
Heather Johnson
Kari Turunen

Adam Con
Graeme Langager
Kathleen Allan
Allison Girvan
Carrie Tennant
Jim Sparks

Intern Conductor Program

Each year, an aspiring young choral conductor is selected as the BCYC Intern Conductor to work with the choir under the clinician’s mentorship. This is a wonderful opportunity and our intern conductors have had a great impact on the choral community across BC and Canada. One example of this is Carrie Tennant, who was the BCYC intern conductor in 2006 and was the B.C. Youth Choir clinician in 2019!

The BCYC weekend includes:

3 days of professional-level rehearsals and music-making
Sheet music (yours to keep!)
Performance at the conclusion of the event
An individual BCCF membership (worth $40)
2 nights shared accommodation (optional)
All meals for the duration of the event

Venue:

BCYC 2024 will be held at Kwantlen Polytechnic University – Langley Campus.

Fees (all participants):

$285 including shared accommodation

$195 without accommodation

Audition & Apply

Auditions for BCYC 2024 and intern conductor applications are now closed. Thank you for your interest in applying.

Information

Contact the BCYC Council (Carl Lemer, Miguel Alvarado and Jaime Yoon) at manager@bcyc.ca if you have any questions.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available for singers in some circumstances. Requests can be submitted upon audition or application with a paragraph describing your financial circumstances and need for financial aid.

BCYC 2024 Clinician: Dr. Tracy Wong

Dr. Tracy Wong is a choral conductor, music educator, composer, vocalist, and pianist. Currently residing in Ontario, Canada, Dr. Wong is the Assistant Professor of Choral Studies at Western University, where she conducts Chorale and Les Choristes ensembles and teaches choral conducting. She holds a Doctor in Musical Arts and Master in Music Performance (Choral Conducting) degrees from the University of Toronto under the tutelage of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt. She is also a recipient of the 2016 & 2017 Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowship in Choral Conducting and a nominee of the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting.

She is passionate about helping choral educators to provide unique experiences for their students through collaborative commissions, customized workshops, festivals, and artist residencies. She has conducted workshops for choirs in North America and internationally. Dr. Wong’s strong commitment to community choral organizations is reflected in her work as Conductor of the 2024 Organization of American Kodály Educators (Concert Treble Choir), Co-Conductor of the Asia Pacific Youth Choir 2023 (International Federation of Choral Music), atelier leader of Europa Cantat Junior 2023 (Flanders/Belgium), former Conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir (Kitchener, Ontario), and singer with Babεl (Toronto). She is the 2023-2024 Composer-in-residence of Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, 2019 Canadian Composer Feature for the Canadian Kodály Journal, Alla Breve, and her choral works are featured at numerous reading sessions. Her choral works are available on Cypress Choral Music (Canada), Graphite Publishing (US), Oxford University Press (UK), and Young Choral Academy (Malaysia). They have been performed by choirs at international competitions and festivals. (www.tracywongmusic.com)