STUDENTS from Fermanagh will feature in the Ulster University Choir when it performs at St Michael's Church, Enniskillen tonight (Thursday).

The choir has gained considerable popular and critical acclaim for its distinctive and dramatic performances presented in beautiful ecclesiastical settings.

Dr Shaun Ryan, Lecturer in Music and Choral Director, has been instrumental in developing the reputation of the Choir over the last 15 years.

He explains: “At our public concerts we like to present a programme of music that will be attractive to audiences but may also introduce them to something a little more unusual, ideally, something unknown to them. Hence, we will often perform a well-loved ‘classic’ such as Vivaldi’s Gloria or Faure’sRequiem, but present it alongside a contemporary work that will be new to the audience. We also feel it is important to perform in a range of settings and to reach out to a wider audience. In recent years the Choir has performed across the north of Ireland, Dublin, London, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and we look forward to expanding both our repertoire and our geographical reach even further over the coming years.”

In recognition of the level of excellence in choral performance attained by the Ulster University Choir in recent times the Artistic Director of Distinguished Concerts International New York, Jonathan Griffith, has extended an invitation to the Ulster University Choir to participate in a performance of The Music of Paul Mealor taking place in February 2016, in the Carnegie Hall, New York.

The performance in St Michael’s Church will include Paul Mealor’s Stabat mater and works by Morten Lauridsen and Bob Chilcott with solo performances, including one from local Soprano, Lauren Coulter from Ballinamallard, who is studying music at the University.

There are a number of students from Fermanagh who attend the Ulster University who are also members of the choir.

Admission is free with a retiring collection.

The event begins at 7.30pm.