Our Team

Dónal Doherty, Choral Director

Dónal’s passion for choral music was nurtured as a member of the Schola Cantorum in St Finian’s College Mullingar and later at University College Dublin.

He was appointed Director of Music in St Eugene’s Cathedral and Head of Music in St Columb’s College, Derry in 1982. Along with his counterpart in St Columb’s Cathedral, he was joint founder and Artistic Director of the Two Cathedrals’ Festival in 1992.

Dónal was appointed Head of Music Services for the Western and Southern Regions of Northern Ireland during the period 1996-2016 and was Director of the Music Promise initiative in 2013, a key element of the inaugural UK City of Culture programme in Derry. Dónal fulfilled a long-held ambition in founding the City of Derry International Choir Festival the same year.

As Director of the internationally recognised chamber choir Codetta, he has worked with conductors Sakari Oramo, Vasily Petrenko and David Robertson, as part of the BBC Proms series in London. He has also performed at festivals throughout Europe and given concerts in the U.S.

Recent projects have included performances with the Ulster Orchestra in Derry and Belfast, a recording of a CD of music by Stanford conducted by Howard Shelley, and the recording of the soundtrack for the film ‘Lost Lives’, based on the novel by David McKittrick which tells the stories of the men, women and children who died as a result of the Northern Ireland troubles.

Forthcoming projects include performances of ‘Anticlockwise’ in the Ulster Hall, a special guest appearance with the New York composer Mohammed Fairouz in the Home Place, to mark what would have been the 80th birthday of Seamus Heaney and the delivery of workshops in Mexico with the opera chorus of Guadalajara.

Katrina Brown, NBYC Coordinator

Katrina is a Music teacher from Glengormley, Co. Antrim. Her passion for music stems right back to when she was a toddler when she remembers singing silly made-up songs in the car with her Grandfather.

This passion has taken her all over the world, having had the opportunity to perform in the USA, France and Germany before even leaving school. After completing her ABRSM Grade 8 in both classical singing and cello, Katrina went on to study BA hons Applied Music with Certification in Education at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. She began her teaching career in Scotland, moving back to Northern Ireland in 2003 to begin what she thought was a maternity cover in Belfast Boys’ Model School. 17 years later, Katrina is still teaching in the school that has ‘captured her heart’.

Outside of school, Katrina is still heavily involved in Music. She is a member of the New Irish Choir and Orchestra, performing regularly in various venues and churches around Ireland, and for BBC and RTE television and radio.

Most recently, the choir were chosen to be the Northern Ireland representatives at the Last Night of the Proms. She has featured on numerous CD recordings, both as a choir member, and as a soloist. Katrina is also on the leadership team for the New Irish Youth Choir.

She is heavily involved in her church – being on the worship team, a Girls’ Brigade Officer and a Sunday School teacher. In her spare time, Katrina enjoys relaxing and spending time with her husband, Thomas and two daughters, Darcey and Gracie.