With all of the hype surrounding Gustavo Dudamel taking over (finally!) at the NY Phil, I’d be remiss for not mentioning Anna Handler’s arrival as Chief Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland, where I’ve been an increasingly frequent visitor over the past few years.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend her opening concert last week in Belfast, which featured Brahms’ “Academic Festival” overture, Britten’s “Young Apollo” (with 18 year old Belfast pianist Senan Sheridan) and Beethoven’s 9th, with a supersized chorus of local singers. But, from the reports I’ve read, Handler brought the same level of energy and excitement that I’ve seen myself at Tanglewood over the past two summers.
I look forward to seeing Handler and the orchestra during my next visit in November, when she’ll be conducting a program of Celtic-inspired works from Ireland, the UK and beyond. If you can’t be there in person, the concert (Nov. 6 at 230 EST) will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.