Our Timeline
Year 1: 2015-2016
- February 2016 -
20 students from NBYC travelled to London for 3 days to perform at the Embassy of Ireland. Students had the opportunity to tour around London, go to a West-End musical, and attend master classes at Imperial College, The Royal College of Music and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
- March 2016 -
Belfast The London trip was followed by a performance at Belfast City Hall accompanied by Barry Douglas with a reading by the poet Michael Longley of his poem, written especially for NBYC, ‘Dusty Bluebells’.
- April 2016 -
North Belfast An inaugural event with the full choir at the Girdwood Community Hub for an invited audience, including local dignitaries, featuring performances from NBYC, Codetta, Barry Douglas and Camerata Ireland, with the inaugural performance of Barry Douglas’s special setting for choir and orchestra of ‘Dusty Bluebells’.
- May 2016 -
Washington D.C. 48 students from NBYC performed with Barry Douglas, Camerata Ireland and Codetta at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC as part of the international festival ‘Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture’. The trip was accompanied by visits to The Arlington Cemetery, The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Washington Zoo.
Year 2: 2016-2017
- September 2016 -
Belfast Performance, Integrated Education Fund Carson Awards, Hazelwood College.
- October 2016 -
Derry/Londonderry Performance, City of Derry International Choral Festival, St. Columb’s Hall Derry/Londonderry. November 2016, Belfast Performance, State Visit of Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia, Girdwood Community Hub.
- December 2016 -
Belfast Performance, British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat Christmas reception, Ten Square Hotel Belfast.
- January 2017 -
Belfast Performance, US Consulate. Collaborative Education reception with deputation from Los Angeles, hosted by the US Consul General at his residence.
- March 2017 -
Belfast Connections Roots Orchestra Concert, in collaboration with Neil Martin, Lyric Theatre Belfast. Showcased on BBC2 NI Monday 18th September 2017. NBYC’s participation is available to be seen on BBC iPlayer.
- April 2017 -
Belfast Cycle against Suicide, Concert at Belfast Boys’ Model School, chosen as anchor school for Belfast City.
- June 2017 -
Belgium 25 students from NBYC participated in the Centenary Commemoration of The Battle of Messines. Performances at the Menin Gate with the ANZAC military choir in a ceremony attended by Patsy Reddy, Governor - General of New Zealand and Vice Admiral Tim Lawrence, Vice Chairman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Guided visits to the Flanders Field Museum and the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 highlighted for the students the complexities of The Great War. Performance and attendance at the commemorative ceremony in The Island of Ireland Peace Park in the presence of HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium, HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Taoiseach of Éire, Enda Kenny whom several of NBYC met and chatted with at the reception following the ceremony. Performance the following day for the Mayor of Ypres and Glen Barr, co-founder of the Peace Park, where two of the students shared in the reading of the Peace Pledge which is inscribed in the park. The Park and Peace Tower were built as symbols of reconciliation and as a memorial to the fallen soldiers in The Great War drawn from across all religious and political beliefs from the island of Ireland. NBYC also visited the memorial headstones to the 36th Ulster and 16th Irish divisions which face one another in the Wytschaete Cemetery. 25 students travelled to participate and perform in further commemorative ceremonies in Derry/Londonderry for The Battle of Messines 1917.
Year 3: 2017-2018
- October 2017 -
Performance of NBYC following a Civic dinner hosted by The Lord Mayor of Belfast and chief executive of Belfast City Council as part of a two day Inward Investment Visit led by the City of London Lord Mayor and delegates from the City of London. Visit to and participation in The City of Derry International Choral Festival including attending a performance given by world renowned choir Tenebrae, receiving mentorship and participating in choral workshops and competition. Visits to some of the sights of the North West of Ireland.
- December 2017 -
Belfast Christmas concert, Full Choir with orchestra concert, Girdwood Community Hub. Joe Mahon Westway Film Productions – recordings of NBYC and development of East/ West connection.
- February 2018 -
Belfast Participation in 4 Corners Choral Festival.
- May 2018 -
Belfast Recording for BBC Radio Ulster, ‘Sing Out’ programme Annual Spring Concert in Belfast Boys’ Model School
Year 4: 2018-2019
- Sep 2018 -
Belfast Performance for Irish-American Partnership in Belfast City Hall Oct 2018, Belfast Performance for World Health Organisation - Healthy Cities Conference
- Oct 2018 -
Londonderry Participation in City of Derry International Choral Festival
- Dec 2018 -
Belfast Carol singing and fundraising in ASDA, Shore Road
- Jan 2019 -
Londonderry Workshop with world-renowned vocal ensemble, Chanticleer
- Mar 2019 -
Belfast Participation in the premier performance of ‘Anticlockwise’- a Dumbworld production in the Ulster Hall. This was in collaboration with the Ulster Orchestra, Codetta, Codetta Youth and University of Ulster choir.
- May 2019 -
Belfast Performance at the Annual Spring Concert in Mercy College.
Year 5: 2019-2020
- Oct 2019 -
Londonderry TBuC residential weekend – ‘Anticlockwise’ performance in Millennium Forum with Ulster Orchestra and Codetta. Other activities included good relation workshops, visits to Siege Museum and Free Derry Museum, sport activities in Foyle Arena. Participation in the City of Derry International Choral Festival. The choir was awarded the ‘Bernadette Kelly Memorial Trophy for Most Promising School Choir.
- Dec 2019 -
Participation in the Ulster Orchestra’s ‘Magic of Christmas’ concert alongside Codetta
- Jan 2020 -
Performance at Clifton House, Belfast for Belfast Charitable Society AGM
- March 2020 -
Annual Spring Concert hosted by Belfast Boys’ Model School
Year 6: 2020-2021
- June 2021 -
Taster Session concert hosted by Mercy College
Year 7: 2022-2023
-October 2022-
City of Derry International Choral Festival - Youth Choir Category
-December 2022-
Guest artists at Belfast Boys’ Model School annual Carol Service
-Feb 2023-
Ulster University - Look North Festival with Siobhan Brown and Cairde Community Choir
-Mar 2023-
Oh Yeah! Music Centre - Young at Art Festival Discussion Panel in partnership with The European Parliament Liaison Office in the United Kingdom
-April 2023-
RTE television performance with Brian Kennedy and Cairde Community Choir in celebration of the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement
-May 2023-
Special guest artists at Hazelwood Integrated College’s Spring Concert
Year 8: 2023-2024
- October 2023 -
City of Derry International Choral Festival - Youth Choir category
- October 2023 -
London - Mansion House performance by invitation of Lady Mayoress of London
London - Irish Embassy performance for invited dignitaries
- December 2023 -
Guest artists at Belfast Boys’ Model School annual Carol Service
- March 2024 -
Performance at Belfast Charitable Society AGM