Farnham Youth Choir take the top spot!

Farnham Youth Choir Named Highest Ranked UK Choir with Interkultur

Farnham, 2nd August 2025 — It’s official! Farnham Youth Choir, has been recognised as the highest ranked UK choir with Interkultur (interkultur.com). This incredible achievement places the choir among the best in the world, according to Interkultur’s official World Rankings, which can be viewed here.

This milestone is a huge accomplishment for our tiny charity and a testament to the dedication, talent, and hard work of our singers, both past and present. Their commitment has helped us earn medals at numerous international competitions including two golds at the World Choir Games in 2024 in Auckland, New Zealand, double golds at the European Choir Games in Gothenburg in 2019, and twice winning First Prize in the Sainsbury Youth Choir of the Year competition.

Quotes from the Leadership: “Achieving the highest UK ranking with Interkultur is a momentous milestone for Farnham Youth Choir,” said Patrick Barrett, Artistic Director. “It reflects the extraordinary talent and commitment of our singers and our team’s passion for excellence in choral music.”

Melanie Hancox, Chair of Trustees, added, “We are incredibly proud of our choir’s achievement. This recognition inspires us to continue fostering a love of singing and developing young talent.”

Quotes from Singers: 14-year-old Sakura said, “Being part of Farnham Youth Choir and achieving this ranking makes me so proud. It’s amazing to see our hard work pay off!”

15-year-old Ruby shared, “This achievement motivates me to keep improving and inspires me to pursue my passion for music even further.”

Another singer, 15-year-old Dandan, remarked, “I love singing with the choir, and it's fantastic to see us recognized on such a big stage. It’s a real team effort!”

We are immensely proud of this achievement and grateful for the support of our community and supporters. It is a proud moment for Farnham Youth Choir and reflects our ongoing passion for excellence in choral music.

Farnham Youth Choir are on tour with the National Youth Orchestra, performing at Birmingham Symphony Hall on 6th August, Snape Maltings on 8th August and will appear in the BBC Proms on Saturday 9th August.

Farnham Youth Choir bags £1000 from Tesco’s community grant scheme

Farnham Youth Choir will receive £1000 that we will use to support our young singers to compete at the International Choral Competition in Hull in Spring 2023.

Co-Chair of Trustees, Melanie Hancox, said, “this grant helps to ensure that all our young singers can compete in the Interkultur International Choral Competition. FYC is a proudly inclusive choir that works hard to make sure that all young people with the interest and drive to become world-class choral singers, are able to achieve their ambitions. We’re extremely grateful for this boost to our fundraising.”

Singer, Lily, said, “winning gold medals at the European Choir Games in Gothenburg felt like winning the Olympics. It was an experience I’ll never forget.”

Claire de Silva, Tesco’s Head of Community, said: “Tesco Community Grants help support local good causes like Farnham Youth Choir and especially those projects supporting young people, those providing food, and local causes close to our colleagues’ hearts.”

Tesco Community Grants is run in partnership with community charity Groundwork, who has awarded grants to thousands of local community projects every year.

Tesco’s Community Grants scheme – previously Tesco Bags of Help - has already provided over £100 million to more than 50,000 projects across Britain. Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/communitygrants.