Classical Music 28/5/10

By Philip Hammond – 28 May 2010

Glasgow Phoenix choir, Glenmachan Church of God, Glenmachan Road, Belfast, Tonight, 7.30pm, St George’s Church, High Street Belfast, Tomorrow, 7.30pm

The Glasgow Phoenix Choir comprises 95 singing members ranging from teenagers to octogenarians. The choir was founded in 1951 when members of the disbanded Glasgow Orpheus Choir decided to carry on the then 50-year-old tradition.

The choir's extensive and varied repertoire includes music from West End/Broadway shows and ‘easy listening’ numbers, through to oratorio, opera, chamber music, and sacred music from amany well-known major composers.

Whilst this is not a religious/church choir and neither is it an orchestral/theatrical chorus, it has elements of all of these and more in its catalogue, and it has recorded over 30 albums.

The choir is in Belfast for two concerts, the first will be as special guests of the Donaghadee Male Voice Choir in Glenmachan Church of God tonight.

Tomorrow night in St George’s Church the choir performs on its own in a programme including Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’.

Tickets are available from the Belfast Welcome Centre on 028 9024 6609 and at www.phoenixchoir.org