Our chairman, George Bain and new CEO, Rosa Solinas, took the opportunity to address the audience emphasising the range and relevance of Orchestra today and its involvement in community outreach and education projects. The evening proved an enormous success with over 20 Lords attending the recital. MP Vernon Coaker was so impressed he later tweeted; ‘Lovely to have @UlsterOrchestra ensemble in Houses of Parliament y’day. Can’t believe they bring music to 100,000 people a year! Amazing.’

Tchaikovsky had gone to his brother–in–law’s estate in the Ukraine to have a break. He’d write a few songs to replenish the bank balance; revise some earlier works (including Romeo and Juliet); and tackle a commission for the 1881 Moscow Exhibition of the Arts and Industry (this would be the 1812 Overture) about which he couldn’t raise any enthusiasm.

Displacement theory came into play and he began tinkering with ideas for a new symphony, or maybe a string quartet. Eventually he decided it would be for a full ensemble of strings and, and in homage to his beloved Mozart, it would be called a Serenade. Work on the new piece, however, was interrupted by the need to complete the 1812.

In late October he penned a letter to Mme von Meck: “The Overture will be very loud and noisy, but I wrote it without any warm feelings of love and so it will probably be of no artistic worth. But the Serenade, on the contrary, I wrote from inner conviction. This is a piece from the heart, and so I venture to say, it’s not lacking in real artistic worth.”
The Serenade has no ‘programme’ or story to inform its music: it is music for its own sake and it was a product of his happier circumstances: his relationship with Mme von Meck; the success of his music; and the resultant international renown. The Serenade was first performed by students and teachers at the Moscow Conservatory that December and then given its public première the following year in St Petersburg to great acclaim (the Waltz movement was immediately encored). Indeed, everywhere it was performed, from Europe to the USA, it was much admired and enjoyed.

The first movement, “in the form of a sonatina”, begins with a stately and chordal call to attention, which dies away before the first lyrical and waltz–like theme is played by the violins. This contrasts with a second lighter–weight idea, played mostly staccato. The writing exudes sheer enjoyment. The succeeding movement moves to G major for what really is a Waltz, a deliciously gentle one at that. Neither it nor the succeeding D major nostalgic Elegy needs little introduction. The finale is based on two Russian songs – a Volga boat song for the slow introduction and then a sparkling dance tune for the main Allegro. Look out for the return of the Serenade’s opening call to attention, freshly revealed as none other than a close relative of the Finale’s sparkling traditional Russian dance tune.

Programme note © David Byers, 2013

The partnership is primarily focused around the sponsorship of the Orchestra’s French Horn Section Leader Paul Klein who will provide, alongside other musicians, solo and group performances for guests and clients of the six Hastings Hotels; the Culloden Estate & Spa, Slieve Donard Resort & Spa, Europa Hotel, Stormont Hotel, Ballygally Castle and Everglades Hotel.

Julie Maguire, Marketing Director for Hastings Hotels said at the recent launch of the partnership; “Hastings Hotels are very pleased to be working with such a prestigious and historic local organisation, and we are confident that this will be the start of a really successful future together! We look forward to being able to offer guests to our six hotels the opportunity to attend intimate events and listen to the wonderful sounds of the Ulster Orchestra. “

The partnership with Hastings Hotels is the most recent in the Ulster Orchestra’s new initiative to build mutually beneficial relationships with local businesses through the annual sponsorship of players and their chairs. The initiative, which has only launched in recent months, is harnessing the business opportunities offered by the pairing of resources, whilst allowing organisations to invest in the sustainability of one of Northern Ireland’s greatest cultural assets.

Tracy Marshall, the Ulster Orchestra’s Head of Development explained that “This new initiative ensures that local businesses can still be be involved with, connected to and work in partnership with the Ulster Orchestra. By sponsoring a player/chair for as little as £1600 annually businesses receive access to musicians and components of the orchestra, bespoke PR and media opportunities and ongoing networking events. Our new and exciting partnership with Hastings Hotels is one of the most imaginative of this initiative and all involved in the Ulster Orchestra are looking forward to the year ahead”.

Rosa Solinas Appointed as Chief Executive of UO

18 December 2012

Ulster Orchestra Appoints New Chief Executive

Following an extensive national and international search, the Ulster Orchestra Society has announced the appointment of a new chief executive.

Rosa Solinas, currently the Head of Music at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, will take up the post in February.

Sir George Bain, Chairman of the Ulster Orchestra Society, welcomed the appointment of Dr Solinas as an enormous boost to the organisation at a time of real opportunity.

“Every publicly funded organisation has had to meet the challenge of reduced resources and we are no different.  However, within that challenge we believe there is a significant opportunity for the Orchestra to take a leadership role in the development of the musical culture of the region. 

“In our new Chief Executive we were looking for someone with an entrepreneurial spirit, who was totally committed to the development of orchestral music in Northern Ireland, and who had vision and leadership in terms of growing new audiences as well as inspiring our players, our staff and our musical partners at home and abroad.

“Having had a very strong field of national and international candidates to choose from for this post, we are totally confident that in Rosa Solinas we have someone who will drive this Orchestra forward with passion and professionalism.”

Rosa has been Head of Music at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for the last three years. Her qualifications include a Master’s degree in Development and Innovation Economics from Bologna University and a Doctorate in Musicology from Oxford University, as well as a conservatoire diploma. She has worked in the music industry in a number of different capacities, from academia to artist management. Since moving to Northern Ireland in 2004, Rosa has held the positions of Publications Editor for the Wexford Festival Opera, Director of Special Projects for Opera Theatre Company, Dublin, and Artistic Director of the Opera Fringe Festival in Downpatrick.

Speaking ahead of taking up the post, Rosa was very clear that her priority was to ensure the entire community of Northern Ireland shares in the benefits of the outstanding resource that is the Ulster Orchestra:

“It is crucial that we all recognise the cultural and economic importance of supporting a vibrant resident orchestra in Northern Ireland.

“Certainly we will have to be innovative and creative in how we manage our future but in that we are no different from any other Arts organisation or indeed the public and private bodies that support us. 

“I am ready for the challenges ahead. I have a vision for the development of music in Northern Ireland, and the Ulster Orchestra is central to that vision.

We have much to do in developing new audiences and ensuring that our outreach to schools, the wider community, and our contribution as cultural ambassadors is recognised and celebrated.  And I am eager to begin doing it.” 

Associate Conductor, Christopher Bell.

28 August 2012

Orchestra Cooks Up a Treat of a Concert

Following the success of the Ulster Orchestra’s first pre–Season Taster Concert last year, the Orchestra is cooking up another musical serving. ‘Your Starter for 10!’ takes place on 4 September, at 7.45pm in the Ulster Hall.

With the promise of 70 music–filled minutes packed with the creativity of 10 great composers whose works feature in the Orchestra’s 47th Season, Interim Chief Executive Ed Smith says that it is a great way to “get a flavour of the Season.”

“Last year’s pre–Season Taster Concert proved so popular that we decided to whet people’s appetites again. Your Starter for 10! is a great opportunity for anyone who has not been to a concert before and heard a professional symphony orchestra in full flow.”

“It is also a great opportunity for music lovers to enjoy some wonderful music, conducted by one of our most engaging conductors, Christopher Bell.”

“The programme for this Season has been described as ‘a mix of popular, familiar, challenging and inspiring music’ and the 10 highlights and excerpts we have chosen, including pieces by Beethoven, Grieg and Wagner, reflect that.”

“Some of the music is well known and instantly recognisable, like the march from Verdi’s opera Aida, while the less well know, but hauntingly beautiful 20th Century piece by Arvo Pärt is a wonderful reflective experience,” Ed said.

The Ulster Orchestra, supported by its principal funder the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, performs live to over 100,000 people across Northern Ireland each year in up to 90 concerts. Its 2012–13 Season will involve the music of 30 composers in 40 season concerts, that will include over 30 soloists, 20 conductors, two choirs and two celebrity dancers, alongside the Orchestra’s own talented musicians.

The Orchestra’s Associate Conductor, Belfast–born Christopher Bell, is hotfooting it over from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he is conducting the National Youth Choir of Scotland. He is looking forward to the Taster Concert, saying, “I like the variety of the programme, as there’s something for everyone here. It’s a great taster of the music for the Season to come.”

“The challenge for me as the conductor is to change styles between pieces and capture the required mood of an extract or movement that’s out of context. It will be a night of great music.”

Tickets can be purchased at the Ulster Orchestra’s Box Office on (028) 9023 9955 or on the Ulster Orchestra’s website.

Ed Smith, UO’s Interim Chief Executive

17 August 2012

Ulster Orchestra Engages Distinguished Interim CEO

The Ulster Orchestra has engaged Edward Smith, the former CEO of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), as its part–time interim Chief Executive, while the Orchestra searches for a permanent Chief Executive for the future.

Described by the UO’s Chairman, Professor Sir George Bain as a professional who “brings with him a reputation that is second to none,” with 40 years experience in the orchestral world, Ed was Chief Executive of the CBSO for 22 years before moving to similar positions with the Toronto Symphony and Gothenburg Symphony in Sweden.

Since leaving Gothenburg over two years ago, he has worked in a consultancy capacity for a number of organisations, including Camerata Nordica, Scandinavia’s leading international ensemble based in Kalmar, Sweden and the Symphony Orchestra of India in Mumbai.

Last year he took on a short assignment with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, where he had his first job in the 1970s.

Speaking about his appointment, Ed said, “I have spent my entire professional life working in music and orchestras and look forward to working with the Ulster Orchestra’s musicians, board and staff in a time of quite fundamental change.”

“Orchestras across the world become part of a city and region’s cultural fabric, establishing themselves as part of the community, attracting visitors and adding to the richness and diversity of life. I believe the same is true of the Ulster Orchestra.”

Speaking about his role specifically, Ed Smith continued, “There is much to be done on many fronts, but I am particularly encouraged by the stated ambition of the Orchestra’s Chairman, Professor Sir George Bain, that the UO becomes ‘the Orchestra that Northern Ireland cannot do without’, a sentiment that could apply to orchestras the world over. I look forward to assisting him in this goal.”

The Ulster Orchestra, which is supported by its principal funder the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, performs live to over 100,000 people across Northern Ireland each year. At the same time, thousands of children and adults of all ages and musical abilities get to know the Orchestra through its award–winning education and outreach programmes. The Orchestra also has an impressive discography of over 70 recordings.

Welcoming the appointment, Sir George said,” Ed brings with him a reputation that is second to none.”

“Working from Belfast on a regular basis over the next few months, he will be leading in a number of key areas, including overseeing and managing the preparation of the UO’s new business plan, ongoing work on our change management strategy, and the process of recruiting a permanent chief executive – certainly enough to keep him busy,” Sir George continued.

Roisín McDonugh, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said Edward Smith’s appointment would help the Orchestra reach new heights. “As one of the most respected names in the industry, Ed Smith brings with him an enviable wealth of talent and expertise. We very much look forward to seeing how the Orchestra grows and develops over the coming months under his professional guidance, during what are defining times for the arts in Northern Ireland.”

The Ulster Orchestra head to the Royal Albert Hall to perform at the BBC Proms on 4 August.

1 August 2012

Ulster Orchestra at the BBC Proms

Ulster Orchestra players and their junior counterparts in the Ulster Youth Orchestra head to London this Friday (3 August) for  the BBC Proms, where they will combine – along with Sir James Galway – to give the world première of local composer Elaine Agnew’s work Dark Hedges.

Working on the piece for two orchestras and solo flute has been challenging, especially as it contains a total of 160 separate orchestral parts. However, its composer, County Antrim–born Elaine Agnew, says, “I am so excited about having a world première at the Proms. This is my first ever performance in the Royal Albert Hall, and to have the première at such a major event is massively thrilling!”

She continues, “My starting point for the piece and its title is the ancient avenue of mature beech trees near the village of Armoy, County Antrim. Over the past 250 years or so, the trees have guarded both sides of the road, reaching up and across to each other, becoming heavily intertwined to create a mystical arched tunnel where shadows and light play through the branches.”

Equally excited is JoAnn Falletta, the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor: “There surely is no music festival anywhere that is as prestigious, or cherished as the Proms,” she says. “Our August 4 performance will certainly be a benchmark in my artistic life, and I am proud to appear as the principal conductor of the superb Ulster Orchestra making its 11th Proms appearance.”

The Ulster Youth Orchestra will open the concert with a performance of Chabrier’s España, followed by the Ulster Orchestra and Sir James Galway giving a performance of Mozart’s famous Flute Concerto in D.

The Ulster Youth Orchestra will then join their professional counterparts with Sir James for the world première of Dark Hedges by Elaine Agnew, and will then end the concert with Stravinsky’s Firebird (1911 version.)

The Concert is at 2pm and will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and on BBC iPlayer.

Violinist Karen Sexton, one of the Ulster Orchestra’s 63 professional musicians, who appears in the UO’s poster campaign, pastes up one of the posters at Belfast’s Ulster Hall, the home of the Ulster Orchestra,

18 July 2012

50,000 new Season tickets go on sale for a Season of ‘Sonic Beauty’

As 50,000 tickets go on sale for the UO’s new Season today, Principal Conductor JoAnn Falletta, says that it will be one of ‘sonic beauty’.

“This is my second Season with the Orchestra and its fabulous musicians and we look forward to presenting a wealth of extraordinary music of cherished favourites and new discoveries this year in a Season that I think will delight, intrigue and hopefully inspire, JoAnn said.

“It will be a Season of colour, drama and sheer sonic beauty, opening in the Belfast Waterfront on 14 September when I conduct a powerful programme of Russian showpieces. Popular classics like Rimsky–Korsakov’s beloved Scheherazade and Rachmaninoff’s virtuosic and well known Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini performed by Peter Donohoe, a fantastic pianist who makes a welcome return to us.”

As Ed Smith, the Ulster Orchestra’s new Interim Chief Executive explained, “with 40 main season and lunchtime concerts featuring the music of 30 composers with 20 conductors, over 30 soloists and two great choirs, and with tickets starting from as little as £6, there is something for the committed regular concertgoer to the more occasional listener alike.

“There is a place in the concert repertoire for the broadest sweep of classical music and this Season we include the music of Beethoven to Wagner and if you enjoy humming ABBA and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hits in the bathroom, then we have something for you too,” he said.

While the opening concert is on 14 September, 10 days earlier in the Ulster Hall sees Your Starter for 10! a taster concert that will feature highlights and excerpts from the forthcoming nine–month Season for just £10.

Ed Smith explained that it was a Season that would also celebrate the music of Benjamin Britten in his centenary year and include traditional favourites like the New Year Viennese concerts and Handel’s Messiah. After last year’s success, there will be another Burns Night celebration in January in partnership with the Ulster–Scots Agency and opportunities for the Orchestra to play its part in the Derry~Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013.

“This Season includes welcome returns for many world–renowned soloists, like pianists Nikolai Demidenko, the young Benjamin Grosvenor and the Norwegian trumpet virtuoso, Tine Thing Helseth.

“There are also more opportunities for our own musicians, like our Leader Tamás Kocsis, to feature in solo performances, There are opportunities to take the kids to family concerts like The Snowman, or for concertgoers to revel in contemporary works conducted by the composers themselves, or enjoy the music of Rogers and Hammerstein, ABBA and Andrew Lloyd Webber in our Showstoppers! concert in November.”

This Season, the region’s only professional fulltime symphony orchestra, which is supported by its principal funder, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, will also be performing again at Belfast’s Clonard Monastery and at venues around Northern Ireland including Coleraine, Derry, Ballymena and Bangor, with other venues to be confirmed.

Looking forward to the new Season, violinist Karen Sexton said, “I am so proud of the Ulster Orchestra, because we are providing wonderful music to local people. I am so lucky to be doing a job that I love, and I am honoured to be a part of such a great orchestra.”

Tickets are available from the Ulster Orchestra’s
Box Office at the Ulster Hall or by calling 028 9023 9955 or online.