INTRODUCING ANNA HANDLER

As I step into my role as Chief Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the warm welcome I have received. It is a true honour to join this remarkable orchestra in its 60th anniversary season.

Over six decades, the Ulster Orchestra has been shaped by a distinguished line of Music Directors, each leaving their unique mark and contributing to its rich artistic identity. To become part of this history — and to help shape its future — is something I approach with both humility and excitement.

An anniversary is both a moment of reflection and a moment of renewal. It invites us to look back at a rich history of music-making, while also asking: what kind of future do we want to create together?

For six decades, the Ulster Orchestra has been a vital cultural voice, deeply rooted in Northern Ireland, yet always reaching beyond borders. What inspires me most is this sense of openness: a willingness to embrace both the great symphonic tradition and the energy of the new.

This spirit lies at the heart of our season. We celebrate music that brings people together, from the joyful brilliance of Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture to the collective human vision of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. At the same time, we open space for voices that continue to reshape our musical landscape today, from Errollyn Wallen and Grace-Evangeline Mason to the pulsating clarity of Steve Reich.

There is also a strong sense of dialogue throughout the season: between past and present, between different musical languages, and between soloist and orchestra. Whether in the luminous intimacy of Britten, the expansive landscapes of Copland, or the ecstatic worlds of Scriabin and Stravinsky, each programme invites us to experience music not as something fixed, but as something alive; something that evolves with every performance.

What matters most to me is that music creates connection. That it allows us to listen more deeply not only to sound, but to one another. In this way, the concert hall becomes more than a place of performance; it becomes a space of shared experience, curiosity, and imagination.

As we celebrate 60 years of the Ulster Orchestra, I warmly invite you to be part of this journey, to explore, to discover, and to experience the power of music with us.

– Anna Handler