Dalriada in final of School Choir of Year

Dalriada School, Ballymoney, has won a place in the senior section finals of the BBC Northern Ireland School Choir Of The Year.

Over the course of nine weeks, 62 choirs from across Northern Ireland have been singing to impress as they battle it out for a place in the final of BBC Northern Ireland School Choir Of The Year.

Presented by John Toal and Kerry McLean, the series has been recorded at seven venues across Northern Ireland.

The series will culminate in a live final from the Ulster Hall, Belfast, on Sunday, April 7, which will also be recorded for the first time for BBC NI television.

Competing for a place in the final in the senior section semi-final recorded at Regent House, with presenter John Toal, were Dalriada School, Ballymoney; St Malachy’s College, Belfast; St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook and Grosvenor Grammar School, Belfast; Thornhill College, Derry and Carrickfergus Grammar School.

It was Carrickfergus Grammar, Dalriada School and Thornhill College who impressed the judging panel, made up of Richard Yarr, Senior Producer Classical Music, BBC Radio Ulster; Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music, Arts Council for Northern Ireland and Rebekah Coffey, soprano and vocal coach.

BBC Northern Ireland School Choir of the Year is produced in association with the Ulster Youth Choir, and supported by the Arts Council for Northern Ireland (ACNI).

The winning choirs will feature across a range of programming and events during this year.

If you missed the programme, catch it again via the BBC Sounds app. And for additional content check out Twitter #SCOTY and pictures go to: bbc.co.uk/scoty