We were pleased to break further new ground by holding the first-ever choral concert in the new events space at Titanic Distillers, in the Pumphouse at Thompson Dock. Conducted by our Musical Director Matthew Quinn and presented in this iconic building alongside the dock from which Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage, the programme reflected the sounds associated with maritime and wider industries. The Titanic's ill-fated transatlantic voyage to New York was reflected in Give me your tired, your poor by Irving Berlin, performed to great acclaim at our sold-out 2024 concerts in Titanic Belfast. The programme also included Canticum calamitatis maritimae by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, which commemorates another maritime tragedy - the sinking of the ship Estonia in 1994.

Belfast's wider industrial heritage was reflected in music such as Song of the Blacksmith by Holst and The Gallant Weaver by Sir James MacMillan.

The full programme listing is available here. You can view a promotional video for the concert here.

We were delighted to present "Worlds of Light". This concert took place in the historic surroundings of Clonard Monastery. This programme featured one of the most uplifting choral works of the nineteenth century, the ‘Requiem' by Gabriel Fauré (with orchestra), and combined it with two other French masterpieces - Fauré’s 'Cantique de Jean Racine' (version with orchestra arranged by John Rutter), and the hauntingly beautiful, lesser known ‘Pie Jesu’ by Lili Boulanger. We were pleased to be joined by leading baritone Malachy Frame, for the famous "Libera Me" solo in the Requiem.

The concert was preceded by a well-attended talk and workshop aimed at GCSE and A level music students.

An extract from the concert can be viewed here.

Our 2024/25 season was supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Prior to our WORLDS OF LIGHT concert in Clonard Monastery, we presented a pre-concert talk (aimed at GCSE and A-level music students) led by Matthew Quinn.

Matthew took attendees deeper inside the Requiem score and that of William Byrd's Mass for Five Voices, with live demonstrations and discussion with leading soloists, orchestral musicians and singers. As well as members of Cappella Caeciliana, these singers included Belfast-born leading baritone Malachy Frame, who will also perform in the subsequent concert.

We were delighted to provide most of the music for the annual St Patrick's Day Mass for the Irish community in Paris. Mass was celebrated by Fr Jim Doyle, Abbé of the Irish Chaplaincy.

An extract from the Mass performance can be viewed here.

The service took place in the renowned Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in the Latin Quarter.

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont displays a magnificent and original blend of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Built in the 1530s, its choir screen, a unique feature in Paris, acts as the transition point between the flamboyant Gothic style and the French-Italian style. The church houses the relics of Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, and is for this reason a pilgrimage site.

The church is also famed for its musical history. The composer Maurice Duruflé was organist from 1929 until his death in 1986. The main organ dates from the 1630s and is the fourth-largest organ in the city of Paris.

We were delighted to make our first appearance in France, and presented a St Patrick's Weekend concert jointly with the Choir of Sorbonne University. The concert was directed jointly by our Musical Director Matthew Quinn and Frédéric Pineau, the Chef de Choeur at COSU (Choeur et Orchestre Sorbonne Universités).

We performed in the historic Église Notre Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux in the Marais district. There has been a church on this site since 1258, and the current building dates from 1690.

An extract from the concert can be viewed here.

Photographs from our Paris tour can be viewed here.

Our tour to Paris was generously sponsored by Energia Group / Power NI and Aggreko, and our overall 2024/25 season is supported by the National Lottery via the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

We were thrilled to join our friends and founder members "The Priests" on stage in their sold-out farewell concert, also including the Ulster Orchestra (conducted by Fergus Sheil) and pianist Ruth McGinley.

An audio recording, including an interview with The Priests, is available on BBC Sounds.

We were thrilled to return to Hillsborough Castle for a sellout concert to celebrate the Christmas season with a great selection of festive music. The programme is available here. We were conducted by our Musical Director, Matthew Quinn.

Cappella Caeciliana's 2024-25 season was supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

The online programme for the concert can be viewed here.

In this sold-out concert we were delighted to present the iconic All Night Vigil (also known as Vespers) by Sergei Rachmaninov. We were conducted by our Musical Director Matthew Quinn, in his first performance with us since his recent appointment as Chorus Director of English National Opera.

This was the first event in our 2024/25 season, which is supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Following on from very well received performances in Crumlin Road Gaol and Titanic Belfast, we presented this concert in another unusual venue - Banana Block. This is a new living museum and events space set within a historic linen mill and inspired by the connections between Belfast and bananas. Audience members experienced the timeless beauty of the All Night Vigil by candlelight in this innovative and informal setting.

An extract from the concert can be viewed here.