» Home » Friends

Friends - Benefits, Challenges, Events

The Benefits

You can become a Friend of the Ulster Orchestra for only £25 (£40 for Family membership) per year. Please also consider increasing this amount and become a Donor.

Friends of the Ulster Orchestra will recieve:

  • A twice - yearly newsletter.
  • Advanced notification of season concerts, special events or Friends' evenings.
  • A priority reservation period for season ticket (subscription) bookings.
  • Voting rights at the Friends' AGM.

If you choose to waive those benefits deemed to have a monetary value you will save the Orchestra the VAT element of your membership – 15p per pound of additional income to the Orchestra. Signing a Gift Aid declaration allows the Orchestra to reclaim the tax on any donations at no cost to you.

Become a Friend

Join the Friends programme Online or simply download the application form (.doc file) and send it to:

  • Friends of the Ulster Orchestra,
  • Freepost BE792,
  • Elmwood Hall at Queen's,
  • 89 University Road,
  • Belfast BT7 1NF.

The Challenges this Year

Each year the Friends raise money for the future of the Ulster Orchestra, including its important Education and Outreach programme. This enables the Orchestra to present the highest quality education work and the strongest artistic programme.

In 2007 - 2008 we shall:

  • Work with the Ulster Orchestra Associate Composer to develop an exciting new Education project to enable all members of the community to be part of the Orchestra.
  • Seed fund touring opportunities to enable the Orchestra to act in its key ambassadorial role as the only Symphony Orchestra in Northern Ireland.
  • Cover some of the additional expenses required by the Orchestra to move to its new home in the Ulster Hall.

Friends Events

Throughout the year, the Friends of the Ulster Orchestra Committee organises fundraising events which are supported not just by members of the Friends but also by a wider circle of music-lovers.

Ladies Lunch 2008

Any member of the Friends of the Ulster Orchestra can stand for election to the Committee - election taking place anually at the AGM. 

For information about joining the Friends or about specific events, please contact:

  • Heather Wright
  • Development and Marketing Assistant
  • Ulster Orchestra
  • Elmwood Hall at Queen's
  • 89 University Road
  • Belfast
  • BT7 1NF
  • Direct Line: 028 90 689061
  • Email: h.wright@u-o.org.uk

Please also have a look at our Young Friends scheme.

The Committee

The current membership of the Friends' Committee is as follows:

John Parr - Chairman

John Parr, originally a Londoner, has lived in Northern Ireland for the past ten years. Educated at Oxford University, he has divided his career almost equally between work in industry and in the civil service, both in Whitehall and as a senior official in the Council of Ministers of the European Union in Brussels. He no longer attempts to play an instrument but, as some compensation, reckons to have attended over 2,000 performances by orchestras, chamber groups and opera companies in the UK and abroad.

Brian McDonald – Vice Chairman and Honorary Treasurer

Brian McDonald is a retired primary school teacher who presently works for the Northern Ireland Curriculum Council based in Clarendon Dock in Belfast. He is also a Lay Magistrate and Justice of the Peace for the County Court Division of Ards. His interests include travel, railways, local history, tennis, walking and stamp collecting. He is a long-serving supporter of the Ulster Orchestra and has been a member of the Friends’ Committee for ten years.

Stephen White – Honorary Secretary

Stephen White graduated in Medicine from Liverpool and worked in General Practice before moving into Ophthalmology. After work in the South of England, he came to Northern Ireland in 1991 and was appointed a consultant eye surgeon in 1998 at the Royal Victoria Hospital. He has specialist interests in oculoplastic, lacrimal and orbital surgery and holds an honorary clinical lectureship with Queen’s University. His hobbies include Physics and Bengali and he has a lifelong interest in classical music; he also plays the piano.

Raymond Fullerton – Member

Raymond Fullerton is a consultancy specialist and senior partner in his own consultancy firm. He formerly held senior management positions in the private sector, including PricewaterhouseCoopers and retail investment banks. He currently works as a director for BT. Raymond was on the boards of Young Enterprise SE area and LIELG (part of the NI Business Education Partnership), and currently on the boards of the Ulster Youth Choir and Arts Council of Northern Ireland. He is interested in a wide spectrum of arts media.

Wendi Kane – Member

Wendi Kane is an avid supporter of culture and arts and in particular the Ulster Orchestra. With an MA in Marketing, she has pursued a career in marketing, communications and development. For two years she was the Orchestra’s Development Officer and she now works for Belfast City Council in the Development Department, where her job involves regenerating and developing the vibrancy and competitiveness of Belfast as a number one place to visit, stay or invest. She enjoys acting as an advocate for the Orchestra’s cultural role in Northern Ireland.

Julian Partridge – Player Representative of the Orchestra

Julian Partridge is the Ulster Orchestra’s Principal Second Bassoon and has been a member of the Orchestra for four and half years. Before living in Northern Ireland, Julian freelanced around the UK, playing with the majority of its orchestras. He also lived in Hong Kong for three years, where he played with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Julian enjoys walking around the wonderful NI coastline and sailing – when he gets the chance.

Jim McDowell – Co-opted Member

Jim McDowell is a retired primary school headteacher and for the past twelve years has worked with Belfast Festival at Queen’s as a Front of House organiser. He previously reported on soccer for the BBC, worked with Belfast Community Radio in sport for six years and hosted his own programme, showcasing music and comedy. His music and sporting interests led him to participate in DENI and the NI Sports Council working parties. Jim was also Honorary Secretary of the Northern Ireland Schools’ FA for 25 years and General Secretary of the Northern Ireland Cricket Union for four years. He currently reports on Junior Soccer for the Belfast Telegraph and enjoys music, reading and travel.