Festival 2025

MAYOR LAUNCHES 32nd CHORAL FESTIVAL AND NEW FESTIVAL WEBSITE

Pictured with the Mayor, Councillor Alastair Cathcart at the Launch of the 32nd Bangor International Choral Festival are sponsors from Signature Schools, Guillemot Café and Wine Bar and Chairperson of the Festival Margaret McDowell.

The Festival will run from Thursday 3 April to Saturday 5 April at St Comgall’s Parish Centre, Brunswick Road, Bangor, with Primary Schools taking to the stage on Thursday from 10am, Special Schools on Friday from 11am and Youth and Adult Choirs on Saturday from 10am, as well as the Gala Evening on Saturday commencing at 7pm, where choirs will compete for the prestigious Open Choral Award. Entry fee at door for the Thursday and Saturday competitions is £3, and for Saturday Gala Evening the entry fee is £6. Gala evening Tickets can be purchased at Bangor Visitor Information Centre, 028 9127 0069, Ards Visitor Information Centre, 028 9182 6846 and North Down Museum, 028 9127 1200,

Friday evening will showcase a complimentary concert with some of the visiting choirs including Coro Gerberto Male Voice Choir from Bobbio in Italy, and our own Bangor Ladies Choir, starting at 7.30pm and giving choirs an opportunity to meet and perform in the hall.

The Festival prides itself on being fully inclusive and again this year have an entry from the Hydebank College Choir, HMP Hydebank, Belfast. The choir will be adjudicated remotely prior to the Festival taking place and the Adjudication held until all other choirs in their competitions have performed on Saturday. We are delighted once again, to welcome this choir’s entry as it is well known how much music can have a significant impact on health and wellbeing.

The Festival are also launching a new website – www.bangorchoral.com and we hope our competitors will visit regularly for updates on this and future Festivals.

Richard Yarr, MBE

Music Producer, Adjudicator & Administrator

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Matthew Owens

Accredited Teacher – royal college of organists

3-5 April 2025 will see 32nd Bangor International Choral Festival take place! We would be delighted to welcome your choir and although we can’t guarantee trophies, we can definitely guarantee a warm Irish Welcome – you might arrive as visitors but you will leave as friends!

Adjudicators for this year’s Festival are Richard Yarr, MBE, assisted by Matthew Owens for the Saturday competitions. Richard, a great friend and supporter of the Festival, and award winning Music producer, Adjudicator and Administrator will be returning again to take the Adjudication reins from Thursday through to Saturday and will be ably assisted by Matthew Owens for the Saturday competitions, who will be making his debut as Assistant Adjudicator at the Festival. Both Adjudicators have a wealth of experience in choral singing and we look forward to hearing from them both.

So why don’t you download the Entry Form and Syllabus and start making plans to travel to the City of Bangor. We’re waiting to hear from you!

Festival Committee

Registered Charity No. NIC 104822

Download Entry Form

Download Syllabus

Choral Festival 2025 Photo Gallery

Adjudicators

Ballyhole Staff Choir Winner Newcomers Class and Winner Best Northern Ireland Choir

Ballyholme Primary School Winner Musical Highlights

Ballyholme Primary School Winner Primary School Choir (8 years and under)

Ballyholme Staff CHoir Newcomers Winner

Ballyhome Staff Choir Best NI Choir

Campbell College, Belfast Winner Post Primary Choir (15 years and under) also winner of Belfast City Airport Trophy

Castle Gardens Primary School, Newtownards Winner Under 30 singers

Donaghadee Male Voice Choir, Winner Male Voice Choir and Runner – up Sacred Music

Festival Launch

Grange Park Primary School, BangorWunner Primary School (over 30 simgers) also Winner of the Loughside Trophy for Best Primary School Choir

Grange Park PS celebrating!

Lagan Seahorses Winner Light Entertainment

Miskellly Chorale Winner Female Voice, Isobel Reid Rose Bowl and OPEN CHORAL WINNER

Portadown MVC with tophy

St. Comgall,s Primary School, Bangor Runner – Up Sacred Music

Synergy Chorus Winner Barbershop Chorus and Runner – Up OPen Choral

Trophies

Festival 2025 Results

Primary School ( 8 years and under)

Winner

Ballyholme Primary School, Bangor

Runner-Up

Sullivan Preparatory School, Holywood

Primary School Musical Highlights

Winner

Winner

Campbell College Middle School Choir, Belfast

Special School Choir (SLD)

Winner

Clifton School, Bangor

Special School Choir (MLD)

Winner

Harberton School, Belfast

Barbershop Chorus

Winner

Looughside Trophy

Grange Park Primary School, Bangor

Belfast City Airport Trophy

Campbell College Middle School Choir, Belfast

Isobel Reid Rose Bowl

Miskelly Chorale, Co Down

Best Visiting Choir

Synergy Chorus, Abergavenny, Wales

Best Northern I Ireland Choir

Ballyholme School Staff Choir, Bangor

Marine Court Shield (best single performance)

Synergy Chorus Abergavenny, Wlales

FESTIVAL TESTIMONIALS

“Bangor International Choral Festival 2025 was a tremendous success and enjoyed by everyone lucky enough to have been present. There aren’t enough words to properly thank you, your Committee and the other ladies who volunteered for all the necessary behind-the- scenes planning, preparation and delivery of such a very busy schedule for an International Choral Festival. Between you, you really did a remarkably professional job in organising everyone and everything, including catering for 100s of hungry competitors”.

Lady Sylvia Hermon

“I just wanted to make sure that you all had a vote of thanks on behalf of Synergy, please.  After coming to the festival two years ago, the quartet recommended that the Choir came over for 2025, not just to compete, but to feel the warmth that you provide as part of this event. As Chair of our group of merry men, I was focussed on showing Synergy just what happens in Bangor. Of course you didn’t disappoint. The organisation was fantastic, but it is that is all-embracing welcome that is so intoxicating. Hence, our experiences have been ones that will stay with us for a very long time. Of course, we don’t know what the future will hold, but as we reflect on our 2025 experience, we very much look forward to circumstances allowing us to attend again. “

Synergy Chorus, Abergavenny

It was a pleasure to attend the Bangor International Choral Festival. I would like to say well done to the Organising Committee and best wishes for 2026!

Mayor of Ards and North Down Borough Council, Councillor Alistair Cathcart

“ Grazie a voi per l’accoglienza. Speriamo di rivederci presto.
Translation: Thank you for the welcome. We hope to see you again soon.”

Edo Mazzoni e il coro Gerberto città di Bobbio (Coro Gerberto, Bobbio, Italy)

“ On behalf of the Shorething octet may I say a sincere thank you to you and your hard working team for such a wonderful festival. As one we all enjoyed every second of the event and have returned to Wales with smiles on our faces. I really hope we might come back and see you again before too long!”.

Shorething Octet, Abergavenny

“I look forward to continuing to support this event in the future.”

Councillor Eddie Thompson, Ards and North Down Borough Council.

“It was an absolute pleasure to be at the Festival. I have a great love of choral music and the children moved me to tears – literally! Huge congratulations and thanks to you and all the team for keeping this great festival on the arts calendar.”

Councillor Gillian McCollum, Ards and North Down Borough Council.

“Just a quick note to thank you for inviting me to adjudicate yesterday and for all the wonderful hospitality; so many delicious treats! I thought it was a terrific day and it was a pleasure to be a part of it. Congratulations on making it all come together – I know how much hard work such events are, but it all paid off; long may it continue!”

Matthew Owens, Adjudicator (Saturday)

“Thank you to all of you at the festival for a lovely morning. I know there is so much work that goes into the planning and running of the event, and we all really appreciate it. Our pupils love attending and we are already looking forward to coming back next year!”

Chrissie Corbett, Clifton Special School, Bangor (Saturday)

“Thank you so much for sending on these photographs, they are so lovely. We really enjoyed our time at the festival and would love to return next year! ”

Wendy Ballard, Sullivan Upper Prep School

“Thank you so much for these photos. We had a fantastic time at the Festival this year and were delighted with the feedback from Richard. Thank you for all your hard work in making this such an enjoyable experience for our pupils.”

Megan Vincent, Grange Park Primary School, Bangor

“ I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed being at your festival again this year. It was a very enjoyable weekend. We heard some very polished performances and some outstanding singing. I know that all the chorus members enjoyed it too.  It takes an awful lot of work and effort to put on an event such as this and the team do a tremendous job, and must be commended for it. We send our congratulations for a job very well done.”

Synergy Howlers, Abergavenny, Wales

“ Just a quick note to say how much we enjoyed taking part in the festival, and to express our thanks to all the team members for the hard work that goes into the organisation of the event. The adjudicator is right – there is a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere at the festival.”

Edwin Gray, MD, Miskelly Chorale, Comber