Let me introduce myself: Nicky Astle
Job Title: Marketing Manager, Rayburn Tours
Singing experience: Virtually none – only to my children and much to my astonishment, a solo performance at the age of 8 on the stage at Derby Playhouse!
The Rayburn Tours Team: We are absolutely passionate about encouraging and assisting youth and adult ensembles to embark on a concert tour to destinations throughout the UK, Europe and further afield.
My Choir of the Year Blog
It was around 6 months ago that I was sat at my desk reading the letter from Kallaway, the organisers of Choir of the Year, inviting Rayburn Tours to support the competition by becoming a “Friend of Choir of The Year” in 2014. What an opportunity and so many shared values, namely that both our organisations are absolutely passionate about supporting, developing and creating unique opportunities for youth and adult choirs across the UK.
“There was no way I was going to let this fantastic opportunity escape us!”
There was no way I was going to let this fantastic opportunity escape us! I found at this point that selling the prospect to my Directors and the specialist concert tours team would be a relatively simple task!
The fact that we’ve been creating concert tours for nearly 50 years, that two of our Directors sing in choirs and that all members of our Concert Tours team are performers certainly helped!
This was where the Rayburn Tours Choir of the Year Journey began…
I also decided right there and then that I would trail our journey via a blog – the very one you’re sat reading right now! For many choirs the journey will consist of them giving their all at just one event; I’m hoping this blog will make that journey last that little longer!
The Rayburn Tours team will be travelling the length and breadth of the UK over the coming 8 months, sharing the experience with all the wonderful choirs who compete, while at the same time helping and encouraging them to step from the Choir of the Year stage to the International stage, with our assistance of course! At the same time I hope to help raise awareness for the biggest and most inspirational choral competition in the UK – Choir of the Year.