Nicolas Mansfield will become the new general director of the National Choirs effective January 1, 2025. He succeeds Wilma ten Wolde, who is stepping down as general director of the organization after 26 years.

Nicolas Mansfield, former general director of the Dutch Travel Opera, takes over. He has years of experience in singing, choral conducting and business management in the cultural sector.

Marise Voskens, chairman of the supervisory board: 'Nicolas Mansfield has the breadth of knowledge and experience to take the foundation into this new phase. He follows in the footsteps of Wilma ten Wolde, who has developed Vocal Talent Netherlands and the National Choirs to a high level all these years with enormous enthusiasm, commitment and professionalism, providing a wide range of vocal training and stage experience for youth and young people. We are delighted that she continues to be involved as a teacher for a new generation of music educators and youth choral conductors, wish her much inspiration and confidently look forward to a flourishing period under Nicolas Mansfield's leadership.

Nicolas Mansfield has the breadth of knowledge and experience to help the foundation enter this new phase.

Wilma ten Wolde: 'It has been my pleasure to play a key role at Vocal Talent Netherlands for 26 years. I am enormously proud of what we have achieved together and confidently hand over this honorable position to Nicolas. Thanks to the recently granted government subsidy there is a solid foundation for the future.

Nicolas Mansfield: 'It is an honor for me to build on the organisation that Wilma ten Wolde developed with so much commitment and perseverance. Together with our artistic directors, Irene Verburg and László Nemes, I am fully committed to developing the next generation of singing talents.'

For 35 years, Vocal Talent Netherlands (VTN) has been dedicated to the musical and vocal training of young singing talents ages 6 through 29 and organises four National Choirs:
the National Children's Choir, National Boys' Choir, National Female Youth Choir and National Mixed Youth Choir. There are preparatory singing classes for children ages 6 and up. 

The National Choirs are considered the "Young Orange" of classical singing and provide an important experiential venue for the development of young singers. More than 220 children and youth now sing in the various choirs. Regionally, they attend weekly lessons and once a month they meet as a choir to refine repertoire and choral sound. In addition to the training the singers gain in choir, training spots for soloists are also offered.

The National Choirs have an impressive track record. Over the years, both choral and soloists have participated in more than a hundred different productions; at home and abroad; for radio and TV; with professional orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmoniker, with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Iván Fischer, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

The importance and necessity of both teaching/vocal training and performance practice in the National Choirs have been emphatically and convincingly endorsed in recent months by many inside and outside the profession. Partly because of this tremendous appreciation and support for our work, the initial threat of a major subsidy cut has been averted and Vocaal Talent Nederland | Nationale Koren can enter the next phase with new elan.