NYCOS appoints chief executive

The National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCOS) has announced the appointment of Kenneth Boyd as its new chief executive. A former NYOS youth singer, Boyd is the first alumnus to lead the choral charity, moving to take up his new role on 21 April from his current position as a senior producer with the organisation.

The Glassgow-based producer joins NYOS as it secures further multi-year funding from Creative Scotland and prepares to present its summer series of residential courses and concerts, including opening the Edinburgh International Festival in August, alongside the Monteverdi Choir and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus in an eight hour performance of John Tavener’s Veil of the Temple.

NYCOS founder and artistic director Christopher Bell said: ‘This truly is a watershed appointment – a few decades in the making, but well worth the wait. Kenneth has been a NYCOS performer, a NYCOS producer and a proud NYCOS parent; having excelled on stage and backstage we are delighted he has agreed to join our leadership team front of house. Following his stints at Scottish Opera and with the Scottish Ensemble he is as popular in the sector as he is amongst our young people: his network, practical experience and ambition will all be vital as we start the countdown to our thirtieth anniversary year.’

Boyd began singing with the National Youth Choir of Scotland in 2003 at the age of 17 and undertook two international tours during his time with the organisation, while also studying an undergraduate degree in Music at the University of Wales. After completing his postgraduate Diploma in Opera Studies at Royal Northern College of Music, Boyd went on to work with Scottish charities and performing arts companies, joining NYCOS in 2021 after four years with Scottish Opera.

As chief executive he will work to ‘scale up’ recruitment for NYOs’ Regional Choir network, as well as programming the charity’s 30^th anniversary season.

Boyd commented: ‘As a young tenor I toured with NYCOS to Chicago and Hungary, both fantastic, life-changing experiences. At the time I thought this is as good as it gets: but that’s the thing about the NYCOS network – it gives you rungs and helps you climb. I’m passionate about giving as many Scottish children as possible access to exceptional musical experiences, and look forward to working with our brilliant team to stretch our network wider and deeper in the years ahead.’