Conductor training scheme launched for BAME choral leaders

National choral charity Sing for Pleasure has announced a pilot conductor training scheme designed to encourage young BAME musicians to consider a career in choral conducting or vocal leadership.

The charity will be running four pilot training days in partnership with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Redbridge Music Service, the Hallé Youth Choir and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Youth Chorus. The training days will be led in Covid-secure environments by Manvinder Rattan, CEO and head of conductor training at Sing for Pleasure.

The intention of the scheme is to give BAME musicians aged 16 to 24 insights into careers in choral leadership, in a move to address the underrepresentation of BAME people in leadership positions in the UK classical music world.

Rattan, who is himself of Indian extraction, born in East Africa, commented: ‘The UK has a goodly number of talented young BAME musicians, but few opt for a career in classical music. In fact, the lack of role models and access to top-level training at, for example, the London conservatoires, means this sector of our society just doesn’t get a look in. It’s time to fix that.’

Participants in the pilot training days will learn fundamental choral conducting and leadership skills, explore related career paths, and gain access to resources to support them with future leadership activities. Participants will also be encouraged to apply for financial support to take part in Sing for Pleasure’s annual conductor training programme. Additionally, the charity will seek funding for at least one BAME scholarship annually on its intensive Young Conductors Programme.

According to Rattan, the success of the new BAME conductor training scheme will be measured ‘when, increasingly in years to come, we gaze at the concert podiums and stages across the country and see a much better representation of our society’s profile’.

Dates for the pilot training days have so far been confirmed as follows:

14 November 2020 – Manchester: Hallé Youth Choir
28 November 2020 – North East London: Redbridge Music Service

For more information and application details, visit singforpleasure.org.uk

Sing for Pleasure is supported by the John Lewis Partnership