Founded in 1966, the Ulster Orchestra remains at the forefront of musical life in Northern Ireland, the Orchestra’s full-time musicians forming the only professional symphony orchestra in the region.

With a mission to enrich the lives of people living in Northern Ireland, those visiting, and those who encounter it through international touring and regular radio and TV broadcasts with both BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Radio 3, the Ulster Orchestra strives for excellence in all it undertakes, including regular concert performances, learning and community engagement programmes, and creative collaborations across the arts.

An important aspect of the Ulster Orchestra’s work across Northern Ireland is its annual touring programme of concerts which brings live orchestral music to the heart of communities across the region. Ulster Orchestra ‘On Your Doorstep’ sees the orchestra play in as diverse a range of venues as possible across Northern Ireland, sending everything from small ensembles and chamber musicians to the full symphony orchestra far and wide across the region.

Learning and community engagement is at the core of all that the Ulster Orchestra does. The Orchestra is building on thirty years of education and outreach work with an exciting and diverse range of partnership projects. From ‘Adopt A Player’ and ‘Crescendo!’ in schools to wellbeing workshops in hospices and supported housing, from concerts for schools and free concert tickets for children to residencies at Special Educational Needs schools, and from projects with Women’s Aid to the award-winning ‘Move to the Music’ scheme which facilitates access to live orchestral music for isolated elderly people in rural areas, the Ulster Orchestra is bringing music to new and existing groups and audiences from all backgrounds across Northern Ireland.