Rehearsals are held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in St Bride's Hall, Derryvolgie Avenue just off the Malone Road in South Belfast and there are six choirs in total:
| Phil Kids Minis - Tuesdays from 4.30pm - 5.20pm (P2 - P3) |
| Phil Kids Year 1 - Tuesdays from 4.30pm - 5.30pm (P4 - P5) |
| Phil Kids Year 2 - Tuesdays from 5.45pm - 6.45pm (P5 - P6) |
| Phil Kids Year 3 & 4 - Tuesdays from 5.45pm - 6.45pm (P6 - P7) |
| Phil Youth Choir - Wednesdays from 5.15pm - 6.45pm (ages 11-16) |
| Phil Chamber Choir* - Wednesdays from 5.15pm - 7pm (ages 14-18) |
*The Chamber Choir for the 2024-25 season is for soprano and alto singers only
Youth Choir Aims
The aims of the Youth Choirs are to encourage singing to the best of the singer’s ability; to learn to read music and to develop and train the voice. The emphasis is on singing for fun, and on the establishment of good pitching and a good ear in a programme devised in line with the Kodály principles of music education, developed in Hungary by the composer Zoltan Kodály. Musicanship sessions take the form of small groups with pitching and rhythm games. Principles of 'sol-fa' and notation reading are introduced and developed as singers progress through the choirs.
The Society are already planning ahead for the exciting 20th anniversary of the Youth Choirs in 2025-26 so now is a perfect time to join!
Joining the Youth Choirs
Our taster sessions and open rehearsals took place during the first week of September so please get in touch with Helena Carlin, Youth Choir Administrator, to arrange for your child to attend a rehearsal and meet the music team - philyouth@belfastphilharmonic.org.uk - as we will be accepting applications all term.
Auditions for the 2024-25 Season
Auditions are only required for the Youth and Chamber Choir (ages 11-18) to assess voice, range, and musicianship ability and these were held on Wednesday 11th September .
Further auditions can be arranged any Wednesday before or after rehearsals so please get in touch to book a date and time.
Membership Fees for 2024-25
There is an annual membership fee to join the Youth Choirs which can be paid in one or multiple installments and a discount when joining during the year:
Phil Minis and Phil Kids - £190
Youth and Chamber Choirs - £210
However, we do not want anyone to be dissuaded from joining because of fees - if you have difficulty paying please contact Helena Carlin confidentially by email (philyouth@belfastphilharmonic.org.uk)
Join the Youth Choirs
To join the Youth Choirs click here and if you have any questions or to sign up for the Chamber Choir auditions, contact Helena Carlin by email - philyouth@belfastphilharmonic.org.uk
If you are not able to join our choirs in September, please get in touch to discuss joining at a later date and we will be holding more taster sessions and open rehearsals in January 2025.
