Based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the Ulster Orchestra was formed in 1966 and is now one of the major orchestras in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its main concert season takes place in Belfast’s Ulster and Waterfront Halls, but it also gives concerts across Northern Ireland. It is the Orchestra-in-Residence for the Belfast Festival at Queen’s, accompanies opera and ballet productions at Belfast’s Grand Opera House, and its outstanding education and outreach work was recognised a few years ago by an award from the Royal Philharmonic Society. Kenneth Montgomery is the Ulster Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, following a list of distinguished artists who have previously held the post, including Bryden Thomson, Vernon Handley, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Thierry Fischer and Yan Pascal Tortelier.
The Ulster Orchestra has made some seventy recordings, notably for Naxos, Chandos, BMG and Hyperion. The BBC has a unique relationship with the Orchestra as its exclusive broadcast partner with many relays on BBC Radio 3, Radio Ulster and BBC TV. Tours of Europe, Asia, and the United States have added to the Orchestra’s reputation.
For Naxos, the orchestra's recordings are mostly contemporary or modern, and have all been critically acclaimed in various ways. The orchestra's disc of Philip Glass's Violin Concerto [Naxos 8.554568] was described as a " home-run for Naxos" by Classics Today whilst a recording of Arvo Part's Third Symphony [Naxos 8.554591] was termed "sumptuously accomplished" by the UK's Observer and "an astonishing disc" by Classics Today. Similarly successful have been the orchestra's readings of James Macmillan, Arnold Schoenberg, Michael Nyman, John Tavener and Edward McDowell (the latter in the important American Classics series).
Further information, plus news and reviews, can be found at www.ulster-orchestra.org.uk, the Orchestra’s website.
