Orchestra finds home in disused church
OrchestrasA former Presbyterian church that stopped services during Covid has been confirmed as the new home of the Ulster Orchestra.
The orchestra has received £268,000 from the Foyle Foundation, a charity created by the owners of the London bookshop. Additional money is coming from the National Lottery and Belfast City Council.
The Townsend Street church, its former school and Memorial Hall will undergo extensive renovation over several years.
Will it be a multipurpose rehearsal space (like the LSO’s St. Luke’s) for the orchestra, or will it be a concert hall?
This is wonderful news but fulfilling it will not be without its difficulties. I walked around this area earlier this summer while visiting Belfast – a city I love. Apart from the odd cyclist I met no one. Immediately in front of the church is the very busy, noisy and polluting West Link motorway. Just to the south is the Falls Road and just to the north is the Shankill Road. There are still high fences and walls everywhere which subtly restrict free movement between communities and to the city centre.
During its heyday this church would be regularly packed by upwards of 1400 people. It’s surprisingly close to the centre of Belfast – if you could walk it in a straight line.
I hope planting this gem of an orchestra (check it out on 18 August at the proms) here will enrich the area and enable these communities to flourish as they deserve to.