The National Signing Choir Competition is coming to the capital for its fourth year. Signing choirs from all over the UK will take to Cadogan Hall’s stage and compete to be crowned NSCC Champions 2020.

Children choirs will be competing for the John A. Stephens trophy whilst the mixed-age choirs will be aiming to secure the coveted Morgan Astill Inspiration trophy.

Signing choirs use various formats of sign language to represent the lyrics to a wide range of songs creating a visual spectacular enjoyed by both deaf and hearing communities under one roof.

Not to be missed!

Please note start time.

About the competition:

The aim of the competition is to give signing choirs the chance to showcase their talents and compete on a national level with other choirs in the UK.

In 2016 whilst undergoing treatment for mantle cell lymphoma, Simon Astill dreamed up the idea of having a National Signing Choir Competition to showcase the talents of the signing choirs that exist in the UK. At that time, there was only one competition that existed (the Jersey Eisteddfod) and not all the signing choirs were able to travel to Jersey to compete in this competition because of a number of reasons.

Simon decided to put the time he had on his hands to good use and spoke to a number of choirs he had contacts with and in 2017 decided to organise the First National Signing Choir Competition in his home town of Nottingham.

Signing choirs – what exactly are they?

Signing choirs perform like any other choir but rather than sing with their voices, they sing with their hands in British Sign Language, while telling a visual story behind the song they are ‘singing’.

Singers express the song through the pitch, tone and emotion of their voices. Signing song performers do the same with their hands, body and facial expressions – it is a visual spectacular for the senses.