The Belfast Philharmonic Society, affectionately known as “The Phil”, was founded in 1874 and aims to promote the highest quality of choral singing across all its choirs. The adult choir, Northern Ireland’s only symphonic choir, has over 120 members ranging from 18-80 years of age who attend weekly rehearsals and perform 4-5 concerts a year with various partners including the Ulster Orchestra, the region’s only professional symphony orchestra. The Society also includes over 120 children and young people aged 5–18 years of age performing in four different choirs – Phil Minis, Phil Kids, Phil Youth Choir and Phil Chamber Choir.
Under the direction of conductor James Grossmith, the adult choir regularly perform in the historic Ulster Hall in Belfast with the full forces of the Ulster Orchestra, a key partner for the organisation, tackling challenging repertoire such as Verdi’s Requiem and Bach’s B Minor Mass. The Youth Choir have come through The Phil’s innovative choral training programme which is based on the National Youth Choir of Scotland’s model where children join in P4 and progress through each choir attending weekly rehearsals and musicianship classes. The children and young people benefit from the expertise of a team of Kodàly-trained directors and tutors led by the Artistic Director of the Youth Choirs, Dr Lynsey Callaghan, who has extensive experience working with choirs and founded the Cross Border Youth Choir made up of the Phi Youth Choir and the Dublin Youth Choir.
