European Youth Music Refugee Choir Takes the Stage at Eurovision 2023
EYMRC was invited to perform at Eurovision 2023, held in Liverpool, UK, on behalf of Ukraine.
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The European Youth Music Refugee Choir is an innovative project that fosters friendship and community through music, uniting young refugees and asylum seekers across England. Launched in 2018, this initiative, like EYMW, was driven by our commitment to fostering international friendship through high-quality music-making.
Our choir regularly performs at events across the country, with rehearsals held either for a full day or during weekend residential courses. Notable performances include Leicester Cathedral, Amnesty International’s Midlands Conference, the Royal Society of Arts’ Change Stories, the Bristol Beacon, and the Bristol Refugee Festival.
Our Refugee Choir has supported over 200 young refugees and asylum-seekers aged 16 – 26 through making-music.
This project and the start of our journey was filmed and captured by Nick Blakemore and featured on Channel Four News. Following, we were runners up in the 2019 National Lottery Awards.
What next for the choir?
Inspired by our 2018 project, we are aiming to collaborate with the EYMW orchestra to bring together young refugees and asylum seekers for another impactful musical experience.
Over the next 18 months, we will run smaller choir projects across the UK, culminating in a major event that showcases the talents and unity of these diverse groups. With your support, we can make this vision a reality, fostering international friendship and cultural exchange through music.
Explore the Refugee Choir (coming soon!)
We sincerely thank all our supporters for their invaluable contributions to the success of the European Youth Music Refugee Choirs. Whether through funding, resource provision, or volunteering, their efforts have had a significant impact on the lives of the young people we serve.
Their support has enabled us to create transformative musical experiences, fostering unity and hope. We are deeply grateful for their belief in our mission and continued dedication to our cause.
Our Refugee Choir projects have also been supported by a wide range of individuals with particular expertise. These have included composers Chris Wilcox, Geoff Palmer and Liz Johnson and choral trainers Lizzy Cragg, Greg Smith, Jules Olsen, Jack Brookes, Emly Moren, Richard Skilbeck and Themba Mvula. Support for our refugees has been provided by Matthias Witt, Danny Vincent, Peggy Paterson, Florian Winkler and Jeni Vine.