Minister celebrates Ulster Youth Orchestra Choir's 10th Anniversary

Culture Minister, Nelson McCausland, has celebrated the Ulster Youth Choir's 10th anniversary at a concert in Clonard Monastery, Belfast.

The Minister congratulated the choir on their anniversary celebration (held on Friday 7 August 09):

He said; “I am delighted to have this opportunity to demonstrate my support for the work of the Ulster Youth Choir. The performance by the Ulster Youth Training Choir, directed by conductor Dominic Peckham, was tremendous and I would like to commend all those involved particularly the members of the choir themselves.

“Tonight’s performance is further evidence of the high calibre of young singers that we have in Northern Ireland and we should all be proud of their achievements.”

Minister McCausland also paid tribute to the Board and staff of the Ulster Youth Choir. He said: “The Board and staff of the Ulster Youth Choir deserve a great deal of recognition for their work in continuing to provide an outlet for young people from across Northern Ireland to develop and showcase their talents. Since its inception 10 years ago, the choir has gone from strength to strength as demonstrated by tonight’s performance and I commend the valuable contribution that it makes to the arts in Northern Ireland.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Ulster Youth Choir was established in 1999 as the National Youth Choir in Northern Ireland to provide the best of the Province’s young singers, aged 16-24, with the opportunity to train with some of the leading vocal and choral practitioners from throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. Over 100 young singers are selected annually through a Province-wide audition process.
2. The Ulster Youth Training Choir provides singers aged 15-28 with the same training as the Ulster Youth Choir in preparation for progression to the UYC.
3. UYC has performed throughout Northern Ireland as well as Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Paris. It has also developed successful professional partnerships with the Ulster Orchestra, the Ulster Youth Orchestra and Belfast Festival at Queens.
4. The Minister was welcomed to the event by the Mr Wilson Graham, Chairman of UYC, Ms Majella Hollywood, Manager of UYC, and Mr Dominic Peckham, Conductor.
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