News, Events & Tickets
Transylvania is heating up!
8 March 2024
Things are really heating up as we prepare for our production of Young Frankenstein at The MAC, Belfast!
Our bus stop adverts are now LIVE across the streets of Belfast! Flyers are flying out and the news is spreading. Tickets are selling fast so be sure to get yours NOW!
We also have an exciting competition launching. Click here for details!
Be sure to follow us on social media for all the latest updates (Agnes Choral on Facebook and @agneschoral on Instagram and Tik Tok).
Cast Announcement
23 January 2024
We are so excited to announce our incredibly talented principal cast for Young Frankenstein at The MAC, Belfast. You may recognise some of the faces from previous St. Agnes’ productions, such as The Addams Family, 9 to 5 and 42nd Street, plus new faces!
from Tuesday 23rd to Saturday 27th April 2024.
Get involved in the Transylvania Mania and book yourself a ticket. You won't want to miss out! Click HERE!
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
16 November 2023
Get ready to be dazzled by the beautiful voices of the award winning St Agnes' Choral Society as we perform a delightful selection of Broadway hits, blockbuster favourites, Christmas carols and holiday classics.
Immerse yourself in the joyous atmosphere as we light up the stage and fill the air with the spirit of the season.
Take photographs by the incredible Christmas tree in the iconic dome at 2 Royal Avenue, treat yourself to a festive beverage from Yallaa before taking your seat for an evening with St Agnes' Choral Society.
In an exciting collaboration, Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive will be showing scenes of Christmases past, a collection of home movies and television archive celebrating the season. We look back on old traditions, Christmas fare and visits to Santa’s grotto.
The Digital Film Archive is a repository of film made in and about Northern Ireland, going back 120 years.
Don't miss out on this unforgettable experience! Grab your friends and family, and join us for a night of heartwarming music and festive fun.
We can't wait to see you there!
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
‘Tis the Season
14 November 2023
We are super excited about all the events we have coming up over the Christmas season! Be sure to join us as we spread Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear.
For 'Icons at Christmas' at Cushendall Golf Club, tickets are £10, payable on the door.
For tickets to 'Christmas Lights' concert at 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast, click here.
Tedberry Market tickets are available via their website, click here.
Tickets coming soon for St James' Community Farm's Lantern parade, keep an eye on their socials!
Honouring our Patrons
19 September 2023
We are excited to announce our first concert of the season!
Join us at Balmoral Golf Club on Friday 6th October for an evening of Icons, with cabaret and a hot food supper.
The concert is free for Patrons!
If you want to become a Patron, it's £30 per person or £50 for a couple. You will be invited to our patrons concert for a cabaret evening and hot food supper. You will also receive priority booking for tickets to our annual show, your names in our Show Programme and you will be kept up to date on our activities throughout the year.
Email stagneschoralsociety@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to attend or to find out more!
Walk THIS Way…
18 September 2023
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that our next production will be... (drumroll please!)
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
23-27 April 2024
The Mac Theatre, Belfast
It's alive! The electrifying adaptation of Mel Brooks' monstrously funny film will leave you in stitches. From the creators of the record-breaking Broadway sensation, The Producers, comes this scientifically proven, monstrously good show.
'Surprise'! We can't wait to be 'Together Again' for another 'Roll in the Hay' with our fantastic company at a new venue for us. Stay tuned for socials for information on tickets and more.
2023 AGM and Fundraising
17 September 2023
Last month we had our 2023 AGM. We were delighted to see our members after a summer break and to present one of our charity partners, Cancer Fund for Children, with a fundraising cheque.
We presented the Paul Kelly Unsung Hero Award at the AGM to the Lundy/McClean family. This was particularly poignant in the year where our beloved member Pat Lundy passed, and young Kate McClean followed in the footsteps of her mother Emma and grandmother Pat in joining St Agnes' Choral Society on stage at the Grand Opera House as Young Wednesday in the Addams Family.
We have also welcomed our committee for the 2023/2024 season.
We look forward to letting you know more about our upcoming events. Keep an eye on our social media for further updates!
THE REVIEWS ARE IN!
3rd May 2023
The curtain has been raised on The Addams Family by St Agnes’ Choral Society and we are having so much fun. Check out some of the incredible reviews we’ve received already on our social media accounts.
Not much time left, get your tickets now!
Just around the corner…
22 April 2023
With just two weeks to go until the show opens at the Grand Opera House, Belfast, St Agnes’ Choral Society are deep in rehearsal mode for our upcoming production of The Addams Family Musical.
Photographer Joe Carberry and videographer Ethan B. Harman came along to one of our Sunday rehearsals to see how we were getting on and we are so excited to have these mementos of an exciting time rehearsing for such a fun show.
Catch up with your favourite Addams, Morticia, Gomez, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Pugsley, Wednesday, Thing and Lurch at the Grand Opera House, Belfast,
St Agnes’ Choral Society are bringing The Addams Family musical to The Grand Opera House, Belfast from Tuesday 2nd to Saturday 6th May. Tickets are flying out - best availability is currently in the Tuesday to Thursday shows as the weekend shows have low availability! Get booking now, a ticket to our show is just the THING for you!
Get your tickets from the GOH Box Office and website.
When you’re an Addams…
10th June 2022
Join everyone’s favourite kooky family at the Grand Opera House in May 2023 when Belfast's award-winning company, St Agnes' Choral Society, present The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy. This spectacular musical comedy is a heart-warming story of love, family and friendship… with a twist!
The Addams Family Musical is a stage adaptation of the classic Addams Family franchise, featuring music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. The musical premiered on Broadway in 2010, with original cast members Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia, and has since been performed in theaters around the world.
The musical follows the story of the Addams Family as they prepare for a visit from their relatives, the Beinekes. Wednesday Addams, now a teenager, has fallen in love with a young man named Lucas Beineke, and she confides in her father, Gomez, who promises to keep her secret from her mother, Morticia. When the Beinekes arrive, however, tensions arise between the two families, and secrets are revealed.
The musical features a diverse cast of characters, including Gomez and Morticia Addams, Uncle Fester, Grandma, Pugsley, Wednesday, and the Beineke family. The show is known for its witty and irreverent humor, as well as its catchy musical numbers.
The Addams Family Musical is a fun and entertaining adaptation of the classic franchise, with memorable characters and catchy musical numbers that are sure to leave audiences humming and clicking their fingers long after the show has ended!
St Agnes' gears up to tread the boards again
12th May 2021
Covid-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the performing arts industry with shows cancelled and theatres closed.
As the pandemic took hold in early 2020, St Agnes’ Choral Society were forced to cancel their production of Irving Berlin’s Top Hat. Now, they are preparing to tread the boards once more as they bring Shrek out of the swamp and on to the stage of the Grand Opera House.
Discussing the impact that Coronavirus had on the company, Society Chairperson Gareth McGreevy said: “Going back to the beginning of Covid, we were gearing up to stage Top Hat at the Island Arts Centre and that was pulled the week before it was due to open. As a company we have been re-evaluating where we are. Our main purpose is to put on productions for audiences from near and far but we obviously have Top Hat waiting to go and we have invested a lot of money in that.I think that it was only fitting on our return to the Grand Opera House that we picked a show that was not only fun but family friendly and that the audiences would be able to enjoy. We were planning on performing Shrek in 2021 but it was postponed and we decided that we would proceed with that and put Top Hat on the long finger as we have the rights for ten years and hopefully we will bring it to the stage in 2022.”
The pandemic brought many challenges to the group but they were willing to work to overcome them as Gareth recounts.
“One of the biggest challenges we have faced as a company during Covid-19 is maintaining the social aspect. While people have their own friendship groups within the company, we miss that social interaction. One of the first things we done when lockdown was introduced, was we launched a song in aid of Macmillan. We recorded ‘Thankful’ by Josh Groban and it raised over £2,000 for the charity. We have also been holding online workshops with the company in terms of audition etiquette and we have been working with professionals around the country on choreography workshops. One of our members, Patrick Smyth has performed in the West End and we held a question and answer session with him on how he moved from performing with St Agnes’ to some of the best theatres in London.”
As the world moved online, St Agnes’ Choral Society were adapting their programmes in a Covid-safe manner as Gareth tells us: “Singing virtually on a Zoom call isn’t the most beneficial for us as you can get time delays and it simply doesn’t work for us. However, music is at the heart of what we do at St Agnes’ and as soon as we can get back to that, we will. At Christmas we recorded two concerts in St Peter’s Cathedral and they were broadcast in aid of the Renal Unit. They were then picked up by NVTV and broadcast on Freeview and Virgin Media on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Although we filmed in line with the Covid guidelines, people were able to see each other as they were entering or leaving the church to record their songs. That raised over £4,000. Moving forward we are hoping to arrange some social activates when the restrictions allow so that we can bring our members back together as I don’t think we appreciated the social aspect of meeting in the rehearsal room. Hopefully the arts will continue to receive the support that is needed from our government because the lack of support during the pandemic has been concerning. We are looking forward to helping those within the industry who haven’t been able to avail of funding for one reason or another be that lighting teams or sound teams and we are looking forward to be able to give them some business when we get back up and running.”
For many of their members, there is more to the group than performing as Gareth details. “We are looking forward to getting back to what we love doing. We all do this as a hobby and I don’t think we will ever take for granted again the ability to open up a hall, have a cup of tea, a sing and a bit of craic. I think St Agnes’ means something to everybody. If it is getting out of the house, getting out for a sing or getting to the Opera House, everyone has their own reasons for loving the company. One thing about St Agnes’ is that friendships do transcend generations. One of our oldest members Kevin McKavanagh, who is over 80, right down to our youngest members who are 16.”
Discussing the upcoming production of Shrek The Musical, he added: “Moving forward, we wanted something that would lighten the mood of the pandemic and Shrek is certainly one to do that as the characters and sense of humour are brilliant. In terms of logistics, we still have a number of challenges to overcome. The Opera House are programming shows at the moment on the understanding that it will be operating on a full capacity of an audience and that is the only way that this production will be viable for us. They have seen unprecedented uptake in ticket sales and people really want to get back to the theatre. We have already sold 35 per cent of our tickets for the Saturday matinee and with almost a year lead-in that is unheard of for us. We normally see an increase in sales around Christmas time and then in a last minute rush as we get closer to the production. The production coincides with St Patrick’s week and hopefully it will become part of the St Patrick’s week celebrations.
“In terms of getting back into the rehearsal room, we as a company have to be mindful that Covid is still out there. We are not rushing straight in and there is a lot of preparation going on behind the scenes. We will only return to rehearsals when it is safe to do so and we want to give ourselves a longer lead-in time in the event that Covid is still with us closer to the production. For a show in March or April, we would normally hold auditions around November time and begin rehearsals from January. With Shrek we are bringing that forward to allow for any Covid restrictions which may come along and there is a lot of preparation going on to get the show on stage.
“We are currently deciding if we will be having in-person auditions or if they will be done virtually. Ideally we would want to cast the show in the summer time and then hit the ground running in terms of rehearsals when we have no restrictions. We are also looking forward to get back to the Grand Opera House when they reopen after their refurbishment to see what has changed and we can’t wait to show that after our 60 odd years in business that we are still bringing joy to our audiences.”
St Agnes' Remember Tony Gilmore
27th March 2021
Members of St Agnes’ Choral Society are grieving the loss of Tony Gilmore, the last surviving founding member who died aged 93 on March 27.
Gareth McGreevy, Chairperson of St Agnes’ Choral Society, recounted Tony’s involvement in setting up the company.
“It was Tony who unlocked the door to a room in St Agnes’ Hall on the Andersonstown Road for the very first rehearsal of the society in February 1957. He can have had no idea of how his life would be changed that evening. “When the society staged its first show the following year Tony played Poh Bah in The Mikado as well as serving on the committee as treasurer.“In 1962 St Agnes’ went back to The Mikado, taking the show to the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera with Tony, this time, in the title role, making what one reviewer noted as an all too brief appearance but giving full justice to ‘A More Humane Mikado’.
For Tony, the choral society was more than a group of friends and he was keen to have his family involved too.
Gareth added: “Tony was joined on stage in the early days by his brother Sean, they played the Palmeri brothers in The Gondoliers in 1959, and later it became a family affair. He introduced his children to the society with daughters Catherine and Pauline playing onstage roles while son Anthony could be relied upon backstage, even driving large sets to Waterford and then helping to arrange the scenery overnight. Tony was an active member bringing honour to the society with his devotion and unselfish approach to every task, both on and offstage. He was also asked to guest with Fortwilliam Musical Society, notably playing Don Alhambra in The Gondoliers along with his friend Michael Blair in 1979. He was last seen by many members only on 2 March during a Zoom workshop given by former St Agnes’ member Patrick Smyth who is now a professional performer. Catherine Gilmore had tuned in to take part and was surprised by her father standing behind her to pass on his good wishes to everyone.”
Gareth said in June 2017 the society was delighted to be invited to sing at Tony’s 90th birthday party and finished with the very first song the chorus learned back in 1957, All In The April Evening. “It was one of the many cruelties of the Covid pandemic that St Agnes’ were not able to attend his funeral, but it was represented by members Peter Burke and James McConnell to sing the iconic song with Catherine in honour of her dear father,” he said. “Tony Gilmore’s legacy to St Agnes’ Choral Society, and through it, to the wider community will be remembered long into the future.”
Arts Council Funding
27th January 2021
We are delighted that Arts Council of Northern Ireland have chosen us as one of the recipients of their Musical Instruments Scheme which will enable us to purchase a new keyboard and PA system.
Christmas Concerts
21st December 2020
We are delighted to let you know that our two concerts are going to be aired on TV this Christmas. Our two concerts will be airing on NVTV.
Virgin - Channel 159
Freeview - Channel 7
Christmas Story - Christmas Day (4.30pm with a repeat at 10.30pm)
Magic of Christmas - Boxing Day (4.30pm with a repeat at 10.30pm)
A massive thank you to everyone who helped bring these concerts to life.