History of the Orchestra
Overview
| 1966 | Ulster Orchestra founded on 28th September, with 37 players. Conductor: Maurice Miles. Funded and administered by Arts Council of Northern Ireland. |
| 1967 | Sergiu Comissiona appointed as Conductor. |
| 1969 | Edgar Cosma appointed as Conductor. |
| 1974 | Alun Francis appointed as Resident Conductor. Bryden Thomson appointed Principal Conductor. Particular focus on British music; established a niche for the Orchestra, which began to build an excellent reputation for its performances of Bax, Harty, Elgar and Vaughan Williams. |
| 1979 | Began CD recording. Now (2007) has a catalogue of some 70 highly-acclaimed recordings. |
| 1980 | Independent company, Ulster Orchestra Society Limited, established to run the affairs of the Orchestra. |
| 1981 | BBC cutbacks dismantled BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra. BBC Radio 3 and BBC NI became core funders of the Ulster Orchestra, which expanded its strength to 55 players, increasing repertoire and public appeal. Along with ACNI funding, additional core funding injected by Belfast City Council and Gallaher Limited. Excellent funding partnership: ACNI, BCC, BBC & Gallaher. |
| 1983 | Tour of major venues in England and Wales. |
| 1984 | Gramophone Engineering Award for Chandos resording of Bax Symphony No. 4 |
| 1985 | First BBC Henry Wood Promenade concert. Vernon Handley appointed Principal Conductor. He continued the orchestra's close association with British music. |
| 1986 | First international tour to Holland, Germany and Austria with Vernon Handley. |
| 1988 | Second BBC Henry Wood promenade concert. |
| 1989 | Yan Pascal Tortelier appointed Principal Conductor. French repertoire fully explored. Barbican appearance and short English/Scottish tour. |
| 1990 | Third BBC Henry Wood Promenade concert. |
| 1991 | Korean Tour. |
| 1992 | American Tour. |
| 1993 | Short English Tour. En Shao appointed as Principal Conductor. First resident Music Week in Enniskilllen. Concerts in Dublin and the opening of the new Limerick Concert Hall. |
| 1994 | Tour to England and Scotland. Resident music week in Cookstown. |
| 1995 | Fourth BBC Henry Wood Promenade tour. Resident music week in Derry. 63 full-time players, 38 Belfast concerts, 17 concerts outside Belfast, extensive schools’ programme reaching over 5,000 schoolchildren, 12 weeks’ BBC studio work, 12 free BBC Invitation Concerts, 2 concerts for Belfast Festival at Queen’s, two periods with Opera Northern Ireland, concerts in Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Galway. Over 1,000 Belfast subscribers, average attendances up to 85% at Ulster Hall concerts and Box Office receipts up more than 7%. |
| 1996 | Dmitry Sitkovetsky appointed as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor. Two-Week tour to Germany. |
| 1997 | Waterfront Hall opens in Belfast. Takuo Yuasa appointed as Principal Guest Conductor. |
| 1998 | Tour to Spain. Fifth BBC Henry Wood promenade concert. |
| 1999 | Short tour to Germany/Netherlands. Residency in Hong Kong. |
| 2000 | Takuo Yuasa's appointment extended for a further two years. Concert in Utrecht. |
| 2001 | Thierry Fisher appointed Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor. Dmitry Sitkovetsky appointed Conductor Laureate. Sixth BBC Henry Wood promenade concert. Opening concert of UKwithNY Festival. Eastern European tour ( Czech Republic, Poland and Bratislava ) Gallaher sponsorship ends March 2001 due to new Government regulations. |
| 2002 | David Byers appointed Chief Executive. Mendelssohn Symphony Cycle. |
| 2003 | Takuo Yuasa's appointment extended a further two years. Vernon Handley appointed Conductor Laureate. Schubert Symphony Cycle. St Patrick's Day concert in Dublin's National Concert Hall. Seventh BBC Henry Wood Promenade concert. Summer concerts at Farmleigh House and National Concert Hall, Dublin. |
| 2004 | Thierry Fisher's appointment extended for a further two years. Gulliver education project. Beethoven Symphony Cycle. |
| 2005 | World Harp Congress concert in Dublin. Weekend residency in Cork for European Capital of Culture 2005. Eight BBC Henry Wood Promenade concert. Brahms Symphony Cycle. Launch of New Popular Classics series. Kenneth Montgomery appointed as Principal Guest Conductor. Jose Cura concert in Killarney. |
| 2006 | Brian Irvine appointed as Associate Composer. Three own-promoted concerts in NCH, Dublin. Mozart 250th birthday special weekend. Schumann Symphony Cycle. |
| 2007 | Kenneth Montgomery appointed as Principal Conductor. A Marvellous Medicine education project Concert for Chinese New Year Katherine Jenkins concert Four own-promoted concerts in Dublin Tour of border areas financed by Arts Council of Ireland Concert for Kilkenny Festival Ulster Hall closed for 18 months Border area tour funded by Arts Council Ireland |
| 2008 | Bryn Terfel concerts in Belfast and Dublin Ninth BBC Henry Wood Promenade Concert Concert for Kilkenny Festival |
Achievements
Some Major Achievements
- Major Annual concert series in Belfast with international soloists and conductors.
- Some 70 CDs available, many worldwide ( including topping Japan's classical charts ).
- Eight London BBC Proms appearances.
- Hundreds of BBC Radio 3 broadcasts and many television appearances.
- Tours across Europe, the USA and the Far East.
- Many commissions from composers in Ireland, including Gerald Barry, Deirdre Gribbin, Donnacha Dennehy, Kevin O'Connell, Ian Wilson, Elaine Agnew, Stephen Gardner, Greg Caffrey, Deirdre McKay, Rachel Holstead, Frank Lyons, Bill Campbell, Paul Wilson, Adrian Thomas, Philip Hammond and David Byers and international figures such as Malcolm Williamson, John Tavener, Rodion Shchedrin, Lyell Cresswell, Paweł Szymański and Kevin Volans.
- Royal Philharmonic Society's first award for an education project ( in West Belfast ).
- Establishment of an annual Dublin Series in the National Concert Hall.