Gwyn Arch
Young Singers' Competition
A competition to find the best young singers in the south of England.
Next Young Singers Competition Autumn 2026
Winners of the gwyn arch young singers' competition 2024
Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural Gwyn Arch Young Singers' Competition. The standard was amazingly high. These talented young people have a great future ahead of them.
Molly Skeil 17-21
Molly is 19 years old and currently in her second year of studying medicine at Queen’s College, Oxford, where she is a soprano choral scholar in the chapel choir. Before university, she received instrumental teaching at the Junior Royal Academy of Music, and started singing in her early teens. After some initial lessons at school, she received the majority of her vocal tuition from Anthea Dwyer, who also happens to teach voice at JRAM. She now receives lessons from Lisa Howarth as part of her choral scholarship. When not studying for her medical degree, Molly enjoys singing and playing with several different ensembles, including in the university orchestra on trumpet, and in a Baroque chamber opera group on recorder. During the vacations, Molly returns to her home town of Reading, where she performs regular concerts for the residents of local care homes, alongside her mother Alison accompanying. She also works as a care assistant at one of these care homes. While in Reading, Molly takes the opportunity to sing with the local South Chiltern Choral Society (SCCS). Aside from music and medicine, Molly is part of the university cross country club, and has run half marathons in Oxford and Reading.
Sarah-Jane Butler 14-16
My name is Sarah-Jane Butler. I am 16 and I am in Year 11 at Luckley House School in Wokingham. I am very fortunate to have been brought up in a bilingual family, speaking both English and French at home. Music has been my passion for as long as I can remember, ignited when I joined a KS1 choir at school and enhanced by the singing lessons I have received since Year 4. I successfully auditioned for the National Youth Choir in 2020 and I enjoy composing music and performing in many ensembles, including the Berkshire Youth Choir and Senior Wind Band; in addition to singing and playing the flute, I play the piano, saxophone and ukulele. I enjoy singing a wide-ranging repertoire from baroque to musical theatre. As a member of the NYCGB choir, I am proud to have performed a solo in Church Slavonic at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2023, and sung Bob Chilcott’s Jazz Songs of Innocence conducted by Bob himself with my Berkshire Choir. Away from music, I find pleasure in knitting and sewing, as well as crochet; I am an avid reader.
Thomas Parkes 10-13
Thomas Thomas is a Year 7 student at Royal Grammar School High Wycombe, where he studies singing with Natasha Marsh, having previously learned with Angela Davies at St Piran’s School in Maidenhead. He sings with the Taplow Boys Choir, under the direction of Ben de Souza and Gillan Dibden, with whom he performed in a special platinum jubilee concert for the late Queen at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Since joining RGS in September, he has enjoyed singing evensong at Queen’s College and St Mary’s Oxford with the Chamber Choir, and is looking forward to featuring as a soloist in the Chichester Psalms at their next concert in April. Thomas also studies piano and viola, and his interests away from music include reading, chess and physics.
GWYN ARCH YOUNG SINGERS WINNERS' CONCERT DVD- Available in July
The DVD is in production. It will cost £5. To order email YS-DVDs
A chance to shine!
Reading Male Voice Choir is offering an opportunity to promote young talented singers.
The competition is open male or female singers between the ages of 10–21 from any part of the UK. Winners will be performing in the All Winners’ Concert on 6 July 2024 (date TBC).
Our 2024 competition is now complete- come to the Winners’ Gala Concert In 6th July 2024.
- Young Adult. Ages 17–21
- Youth. Ages 14–16
- Junior. Ages 10–13
An opportunity for talented young singers!
Participants (soloists but duets will be considered) will be invited to auditions to perform a balanced and varied programme of their own choice of not more than 10 minutes singing time. At first, we ask you to submit a short video of your performance. Use the link below and fill in your details on the form to let us know you are interested. Then send us your video using WeTransfer, details are given with the application form.
Selection will be based on a suitable repertoire for the age and voice and may include; songs from the shows; sacred songs; folk songs; and ‘classical’, but should not be a ‘pop’ song.
After the assessment of submitted performance videos there will be live auditions in March 2026.
Winners will be required to perform at an ‘All Winners’ Concert’ in July 2026.
Each participant who is selected to take part in the live auditions will receive feedback on their performance and will also receive a certificate
Financial Rewards
Prizes
A prize will be awarded to the winners of each age group.
Junior (10-13): £100
Youth (14-16): £200
Young adult (17-21): £300
Your age category: you must be no older than the upper age of your category on 6 July 2026
Next Young Singers Competition Autumn 2026
Young Singers
Why not give it a go?
Click on the relevant button below and fill in the form to let us know that you are interested in entering the competition. Then, if possible, make a short video of your song and send it to us – details are given on the Form page.
You may want to record your song with an accompanist or, you can use a backing track for your video.
If you are selected to come for an audition we would advise that you attend with an accompanist although this is not compulsory.
A panel of judges will assess the submitted videos and then ask a shortlist of singers to attend a live audition in Reading on 9th March
Gwyn Arch MBE
Gwyn Arch MBE (1931-2021) founded Reading Male Voice Choir in 1971 and was the Musical Director until 2015.
A Composition Fellow of Trinity College, London, and a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music. He composed hundreds of songs and choral works, particularly arrangements for both mixed and male voices. He is one of the most frequently performed arrangers of male choir music in the country.
Gwyn was awarded the MBE for services to music in Berkshire in the 2006 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
We are hugely grateful to our sponsors who have enabled us to create this competition
