The Methodist and College Choirs in concert with Neil Martin
Jews Schmooze, the culture and arts arm of the Belfast Jewish Community, will kick off its ‘Sound Familiar’ Programme with a memorable evening of choral and cello music at the Belfast Synagogue on Sunday 27 February at 1900. In partnership with Methodist College Belfast and Neil Martin, the evening will feature secular and sacred pieces from many faiths.
Methodist College Girls Choir
The Methodist College Girls Choir consists of 64 singers aged 14-18 years and is one group within a large Music Department at the College which sustains 5 choirs, 2 orchestras, a concert band and various other instrumental groups. The girls are selected after competitve audition. The choir appears regularly on local and national radio and television and were holders of the title 'Sainsbury's Choir of the Year' in 1998 and 2002.
On the eve of the Millenium a group from the choir were invited to sing at the official opening of the Millenium Dome at Greenwich, in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen, the Prime Minister and other national figures. The choir has performed at Spitalfields Festival in London and toured with the Vienna Boys Choir giving concerts in Vienna and Salzburg. The also performed at a Promenade Concert in the Royal Albert Hall in Agugust 2005 with the Ulster Orchestra. Their most recent CD, which also features the Chapel and Junior Choirs is available on the evening.
Methodist College Chapel Choir
The Chapel Choir concentrates mainly on liturgical music and has established a strong reputation through frequent radio and television broadcasts. In recent years the choir has sung in Southwark, Gloucester, Exeter and Chester Cathedral, as well as St George's Chapel, Winsor, Eton College Chapel and in the principal Irish Catherdrals. In 2008 the choir returned to Westminster Abbey for its ninth residence in recent years.
24 members of the Choir have recently returned from New York where they sang in the premiere of Karl Jenkins' Gloris in Carnegie Hall.
Neil Martin
A Composer with an international reputation, Neil Martin's work spans television, radio, theatre and concert stage. Among his major orchestral commissions are OSSA (2007), a choral symphony to mark the 40th anniversary of the Flight of the Earls, and No Tongue Can Tell (2004) a concerto for uilleann pipes. He scored the feature film Hell's Pavement (2008), and his work with The West Ocean String Quartet has brought his music to a global audience. His EXSULTET, for Cappella Caeciliana, will be premiered in Belfast and America in April 2011, including a performance in Washington DC's National Cathedral. He is currently engaged with orchestral, operatic and dance projects. Neil has contributed to more than 100 albums and his music performed throughout Europe and North America including performances at Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. He has recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, guested with Bryn Terfel at the Classical Brit Awards and performed with the Irish and English Chamber Orchestras. He is published by Peermusic.
The Wolfston Centre is located within the Belfast Synagogue at 40 Sommerton Rd, betwwen the Antrim and Shore Roads, approx. 200 metres from Fortwilliam Park and the Belfast School of Music.
The 54A Metro bus from the City Centre stops beside the Wolfston Centre/ Synagogue entrance.
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