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Meet Us

The Open Arts Community Choir is led by three Musical Directors and features 28 members with and without disabilities from every section of the community, united by their love of song.

“The fact that we are mixed with people that don’t have disabilities is brilliant for us because it means that we’re not a disabled choir, that’s not what we are. We are a group of people who come together with a love for singing and a passion for singing and we just want to get there and share that love with whoever we’re performing to.”
The choir are standing at the main steps of the main hall in Stormont Parliament Buildings performing

Choir Directors

Picture of Beverley McGeown

Beverley McGeown

Beverley has worked with Open Arts since 1995 and has led the Open Arts Community Choir as Music Director for over the past 21 years to great success and accolades. She also leads music sessions for adults with disabilities, including those living with dementia, and is the lead musician for Open Arts’ In Tune project, funded by Children in Need. She is the primary tutor for Javanese Gamelan in Northern Ireland, having trained in Indonesia in 1995 and 2002.

Image of Anne McCambridge Choir director. She has a blonde bob and is wearing glasses.

Anne McCambridge

Anne has worked as a music workshop facilitator and as co-director of the Open Arts Community Choir since the BBC1 competition ‘Last Choir Standing’ in 2008. Alongside her work with Open Arts Community Choir, Anne is a singer, vocal coach, facilitator and music educator, specialising in the Kodály teaching method.

An image of Alan Beattie, Choir Director. He is wearing thin framed glasses.

Alan Beattie

Alan has been involved with Open Arts since 2007. He was the musical director of the Belfast Operatic Company and conducted shows in local theatres including the Grand opera House and Theatre Royal Waterford and was the Head of Performing Arts at Ballyclare Secondary School until 2016. Alan has won awards for his musical direction and conducting with Ballyclare OC and also worked with numerous other amateur musical societies.

Choir Members

"The choir has meant so much to me and helped me through some very difficult times. I know that whatever I’m going through being at choir is a little haven from the craziness of life."

Sopranos

Andrea Hope

Anne McCambridge

Hannah Beattie

Katy Megahey

Lorna McCollum

Louise Heron

Margaret McGahan

Wilma Bickerstaff

Altos

Ann Tyler

Breege Corr

Catherine Hannah

Emma Gibson

Francis McGonnell

Lindsay Bagwell

Lucy McFrederick

Margaret Mann

Phoebe Gibson

Soo Hun

Tenors

Anna Sosa

Jemma Robinson

Jolene Flynn

Lesley Dickie

Mairead Jennings

Patsy Tyler

 

Basses

Alan Beattie

Gareth Smyth

Mark McCollum

Jonny McGeown

William Gonsalves

In 2017 the choir travelled to Riga, Latvia were we competed at the European Choir Games and were awarded two gold medals. The video below shows our performance of Morten Lauridsen’s “Sure on This Shining Night”. Solo by Soprano, Elaine Pelan.