Thornhill College choir through to semi-finals of competition

The Thornhill College choir competed against St Dominic’s Grammar School, Belfast, Belfast Model School for Girls, St Louise’s Comprehensive, Belfast and Coleraine Grammar at the heat, which was held in Dungannon.

In the senior category Thornhill College choir impressed the judging panel, which is made up of Richard Yarr, Senior Producer Classical Music, BBC Radio Ulster; Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music, Arts Council for Northern Ireland and Rebekah Coffey, soprano and vocal coach.

It was Thornhill College’s choir rendition of Cantate Domino that earned them a place in the semi-finals.

Over the course of nine weeks, 63 choirs from across Northern Ireland will be singing to impress as they battle it out for a place in the final of the BBC Northern Ireland School Choir Of The Year.

Presented by John Toal and Kerry McLean, the series is recorded at eight venues across Northern Ireland, with the second programme broadcast earlier last Sunday on BBC Radio Ulster.

The series will culminate in a live final from the Ulster Hall, Belfast, on Sunday, April 7, and which will also be recorded for the first time for BBC NI television.

BBC Northern Ireland School Choir of the Year is produced in association with the Ulster Youth Choir, and supported by the Arts Council for Northern Ireland (ACNI).

The winning choirs will feature across a range of programming and events during this year.

If you missed the programme, you can catch it again via the BBC Sounds app.