The Belfast Philharmonic Choir travelled to Hungary in October to mark the 150th anniversary of the Society and performed concerts in the stunning St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest and Esztergom Basilica, the largest church building in the country. Appreciative audiences in both venues enjoyed James Whitbourn's The Seven Heavens, Howard Skempton's He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven, movements from Elaine Hagenberg's Illuminare and Morten Lauridsen's Nocturnes plus a beautifal arrangement of The Irish Blessing by James E. Moore. Photos of the tour are available to view here and for more information about travelling to Hungary with a musical group, contact Musik-Land Hungary - https://musik-land.hu/ |
Tickets are now on sale for our annual Winter Recital featuring Youth and Chamber Choirs. Featuring a mix of contemporary winter music and seasonal carols, don't miss our youngest singers performing together from the ages of 5 - 18! For more information and to book tickets, click here. |
Congratulations to our Youth Choirs Artistic Director, Lynsey Callaghan, who has just been appointed the Principal Conductor of the National Youth Choir (9-15 Years)! Commenting on the appointment, Lynsey said “The National Youth Choir is an inspiring organisation, bringing together so many wonderful young people with diverse experiences to create excellent music together. I am immensely grateful to have an opportunity to play a role in this organisation, and I look forward to working with the team to continue and expand on this important work.” Lynsey's leadership of our Youth Choirs is inspirational and we look forward to hearing her plans for the National Youth Choir in 2025 - for more details visit the National Youth Choir website here | |||
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Our Chorus Director James Grossmith spoke with BBC Radio Ulster presenter John Toal for 'Classical Connections' on Sunday 13th October about the upcoming season opener, 'This Shining Night' in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Carryduff. Listen back at the link (18 minutes and 50 seconds) to hear what to expect from the first concert of our special 150th anniversary season! For more details check out our event page here. | |
For more information, see: | https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0023wny |
We are delighted to announce the first concert of our 150th anniversary season, 'This Shining Night'! The Belfast Philharmonic Choir will perform a special fundraising concert in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Carryduff on Saturday 19th October at 7.45pm featuring music by James Whitbourn and Elaine Hagenberg (doors open at 7.15pm). Conducted by James Grossmith with pianist Gail Evans, more details can be found on our event page here or by opening the flyer below. | |||
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We had a great rehearsal on Saturday practising Mendelssohn's Elijah for our upcoming concert with the Ulster Orchestra. It is a special piece for the Society as it was performed at our first concert 150 years ago! Sign up to our newsletter here to be the first to hear all about the exciting plans we have for our anniversary season which will be announced soon, and visit the link below to book tickets for Elijah on Friday 29th November at 7.45pm in the Ulster Hall. | |
For more information, see: | www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk/whats-on/29-nov-24_grossmith_belfast-philharmonic-choir_mendelssohn_elijah/ |
We are delighted to have started our 150th anniversary season this week with some very busy taster sessions and open rehearsals across all our choirs!
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Open rehearsals, taster sessions and auditions for all the Belfast Philharmonic Society choirs are now confirmed and for more details, choose from the 'Adult Choir' or 'Youth Choirs' drop down menus above. 'The Phil' is celebrating its 150th anniversary during the 2024-25 season so it's a perfect time to join! The Belfast Philharmonic Adult and Youth Choirs performing with the Ulster Orchestra in March 2024 in the Ulster Hall. |
The Belfast Philharmonic Society are pleased to announce that James Grossmith will become the Society's new Chorus Director in November 2022. James joins us from the Royal Swedish Opera where he is Principal Chorus Master, and prior to that he was Chorus Master and Staff Conductor at Scottish Opera. Katherine Hanratty, Chair of the Belfast Philharmonic Society: "I am delighted to welcome James Grossmith as our new Chorus Director. He brings a wealth of experience and skills and we are looking forward to working with him over the coming seasons and in preparation for our 150th Anniversary season in 2024/25." The adult choir will have an interim director from September to mid-November, but James will be holding auditions in late September for prospective new members, so keep an eye on our social media or e-list for details. | |
For more information, see: | www.belfastphilharmonic.org.uk/chorus-director |