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.
Our generous supporters
Support us
Music holds the incredible power to heal and inspire, and through the European Youth Music Refugee Choirs (EYMRC), we’ve witnessed firsthand the profound impact it has on young people. EYMRC hasn’t just transformed the lives of the choir members, but also the volunteers and young orchestra participants who have joined us on this journey.
Help us to raise vital funds
If you know of organisations that offer funding, or if you'd like to donate directly to support our project, we'd love to hear from you. Your contribution will make a real difference.
Volunteer with us
EYMRC thrives because of the dedication of our volunteers. If you're passionate about making an impact, consider joining our team.
We can tailor a volunteer role to suit your skills and interests.
Join us as a partner
To keep this life-changing project alive, we need your support!
We're seeking partners to help recruit young refugees and asylum-seekers, fund key aspects of our project, or provide venues for rehearsals and performances.
If your organisation can contribute in any way, please reach out to us, we'd love to start talking!