Music Education
Belfast Philharmonic Youth and Chamber Choirs
Lynsey is the Artistic Director of the Belfast Philharmonic Youth and Chamber Choirs. Founded in 2006 by Belfast Philharmonic Society with assistance from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the choral music education programme now has around 320 children in four choirs. Comprising Children’s Choir (‘Phil Kids’), Youth Choir, Youth Ensemble, and Chamber Choir, the young singers are offered an incremental musicianship programme that is designed to work in tandem with and enhance their experiences of singing in the various choirs.
Cross Border Youth Choir
Through Lynsey’s vision, the Cross Border Youth Choir exists as a project-based choir comprising various choirs from Dublin Youth Choir and the Belfast Philharmonic Youth and Chamber Choirs. They rehearse together a number of times throughout the year and the choir has led to many lasting friendships; the social aspect is as valued as the music-making. The Cross Border Youth Choir won the Youth Choir competition at the Derry International Choral Festival in 2018 and was named Best Youth Choir in the RTÉ Lyric FM Choirs for Christmas competition in the same year. The choir has received coaching from the BBC Singers and undertook a recording project for the Royal Albert Hall in 2018, representing the island of Ireland alongside other youth choirs such as the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and National Youth Choirs of Scotland. Following a year-long collaborative project, Cross Border Youth Choir performed at Young at Art’s Belfast Children’s Festival in St Anne’s Cathedral (Belfast) and for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs at the Abbey Theatre (Dublin) to celebrate 50 years of the Good Friday Agreement.
Workshops
Through her work with Dublin Youth Choir and the Belfast Philharmonic Youth and Chamber Choirs, Lynsey is committed to facilitating workshops in educational settings in both Dublin and Belfast on a regular basis. The diversity within Dublin Youth Choir is ensured through an exhaustive free workshop programme, whereby music staff visit primary and secondary schools in all areas of Dublin. Lynsey regularly facilitates workshops for adult choirs. She curates workshop days for primary school teachers and has facilitated sessions at the Post-Primary Music Teachers’ Association (PPMTA) Annual Conference.