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Choir of Regent House School

Bobby Shaftoe:Ìýtrad. arr Gordon Langford

Harmony North

Gryphon Consort

Armagh City Choir

Ormeau Community Choir

Ulster Youth Choir

Harmony North is an inter-denominational choir of 100 young people drawn from six Post Primary schools in North Belfast. It was launched in August 2015 with a recital by international pianist Barry Douglas and hosted by Hazelwood College.

The schools are: Belfast Boys’ Model School, Belfast Model School for Girls, Blessed Trinity College, Edmund Rice College, Hazelwood Integrated College and Mercy College Belfast.Ìý

For those involved, it’s an opportunity to engage with high quality music and an exceptional educational opportunity.

It focusses on the participants, but also involves schools, teachers, parents and audiences of various denominations throughout the community of North Belfast.

Harmony North has also generated an enthusiastic audience for concerts and events outside Northern Ireland. ÌýFollowing the outstanding success of the first few years of the project, there are now plans to establish links with other similar ground-breaking music education programmes in London and Boston.

The Consort formed 12 years ago when Rod Smith (former teacher of Bangor High School/Academy) placed an advertisement in the Bangor Spectator.Ìý He was interested in starting a choir and invited all past pupils who were involved in the Consort Choir at Bangor Girls High School to attend.Ìý Around 30 girls attended the meeting that night.

Over the years the numbers have naturally declined with the commitments of further education, family & work.Ìý The nine members of the Gryphon Consort are now directed byÌýHeather McCullough.

For the members, the Gryphon Consort is about more than just the singing, they are group of friends.Ìý They unashamedly describe the choir as ‘therapy’ every Tuesday night, that has beenÌýa solidÌýsupport to them.Ìý The membersÌýcome from varied workingÌýbackgrounds: administration, the health sector, teaching and banking.

Musical genres range from 15th Century madrigals to musicals and from sacred to modern.Ìý

Armagh City Choir was formed in 1986 as part of "Armagh Music Week" held in May 1987. The choir has performed with the Ulster Orchestra and the Belfast Baroque Consort and taken part in various television and radio broadcasts including Tallis' 40-part motet "Spem in Alium" on B.B.C. Radio Ulster.

Trips further afield have involved successful joint concerts with the Tipperary Singers and Setanta in Dundalk, including the 200th anniversary performance of "Creation" by Haydn and the Verdi Requiem both at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast.

Since its inception the choir has performed major choral works every year, ranging in style from Handel to Kodaly and Copland.

The Spring Concert this year (specially recorded for Sing Out) was directed by the choir’s conductor, Michael Harris.Ìý The two pianists were Phil Scriven and Michael Harrison with soloists Brian McAlea and Rebecca Murphy.

The Ormeau Community Choir is relatively new on the scene, having only formed in October last year.Ìý But since then it has flourished to where, now, around 60 people meet each Monday morning at 11.00am in the church hall of Ballynafeigh Methodist Church, on the Ormeau Road in Belfast.

The members will happily say that it’s about having a laugh, sharing, telling stories and, of course, a lot of singing.Ìý But naturally, a focal point of the rehearsal is a chat over a cup of tea!

The singers are of all ages and come from all walks of life, from yoga teachers to retired teachers and journalists.

The group is enthusiastically and skilfully led by Una McCann who is a member of Natural Voice Network and a firm believer in everyone's right to sing.

The choir warmly welcomes new members, saying that there is always room for more, and there are no auditions.Ìý The Minister of Ballynafeigh Methodist Church, Maureen Hassard, who hosts the rehearsals adds a personal comment: ‘Methodism was ‘born in song’ and throwing open our doors to share the gift of music in this particular way with the local community is a joy & privilege’.