BELFAST ENSEMBLE
Belfast Ensemble are a pioneering force in disciplinary contemporary art.
We fuse light, sound, and stage-craft to make ground-breaking music-theatre from our base in Belfast.
Since 2017, we’ve been crafting work that’s ambitious, unpredictable, and undefinable.
Part gig, part theatre, part opera, part fever dream, Belfast Ensemble make award-winning work that hits with the emotional force of live music and the scale of contemporary European theatre.
Our critically-acclaimed projects are driven by original music, bold visual storytelling and a restless curiosity about what theatre can be when nobody is worrying about the rules.
Founded by composer and director Conor Mitchell, we gather performers, musicians, designers and technicians from across the island and form a collective to make urgent, contemporary and resonant art.
Over the past decade, Belfast Ensemble have become one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary performance on these islands, regularly collaborating with leading cultural forces to present stunning original work.
Partnerships with Outburst Queer Arts Festival, Lyric Theatre, Ulster Orchestra, Abbey Theatre, and Southbank Centre have driven the creation of sharp, queer, political pieces that make emotional and intellectually invigorating audience experiences.
We believe that world-class work can be made from Belfast. We’re rooted in our city’s energy, contradictions, and creativity, while speaking to audiences far beyond it.
Every project is built through collaboration, bringing together artists from different disciplines to create something bigger than the sum of its parts.
The result is a body of work that feels fresh, fearless and unmistakably its own: theatre with the volume turned up
BELFAST ENSEMBLE
Belfast Ensemble are a pioneering force in disciplinary contemporary art.
We fuse light, sound, and stage-craft to make ground-breaking music-theatre from our base in Belfast.
Since 2017, we’ve been crafting work that’s ambitious, unpredictable, and undefinable.
Part gig, part theatre, part opera, part fever dream, Belfast Ensemble make award-winning work that hits with the emotional force of live music and the scale of contemporary European theatre.
Our critically-acclaimed projects are driven by original music, bold visual storytelling and a restless curiosity about what theatre can be when nobody is worrying about the rules.
Founded by composer and director Conor Mitchell, we gather performers, musicians, designers and technicians from across the island and form a collective to make urgent, contemporary and resonant art.
Over the past decade, Belfast Ensemble have become one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary performance on these islands, regularly collaborating with leading cultural forces to present stunning original work.
Partnerships with Outburst Queer Arts Festival, Lyric Theatre, Ulster Orchestra, Abbey Theatre, and Southbank Centre have driven the creation of sharp, queer, political pieces that make emotional and intellectually invigorating audience experiences.
We believe that world-class work can be made from Belfast. We’re rooted in our city’s energy, contradictions, and creativity, while speaking to audiences far beyond it.
Every project is built through collaboration, bringing together artists from different disciplines to create something bigger than the sum of its parts.
The result is a body of work that feels fresh, fearless and unmistakably its own: theatre with the volume turned up.
the ensemble
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![Conor Mitchell - Belfast Ensemble]()
Conor Mitchell
FOUNDER / ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Conor Mitchell is a composer, librettist, and director celebrated for crafting a vivid “total theatre”. A double Ivor Novello nominee, his works traverses opera, orchestral music, and music-theatre, but always with a clear vision: to blend visual‐arts aesthetic, queer identity, political commentary, and theatrical innovation into compositions that resonate on multiple levels. -
![Clare Hadwen - Belfast Ensemble]()
Clare Hadwen
LEADER / VIOLIN
Clare is a founding member of the Belfast Ensemble, and has been an artistic collaborator from the outset. -
![Andrew Hume - Belfast Ensemble]()
Andrew Hume
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Andrew is a strategic thinker, award winning producer, and arts leader with over a decade of experience delivering bold, contemporary arts projects. -
![Aoife Magee - Belfast Ensemble]()
Aoife Magee
VIOLA
Aoife is a founding member of the Belfast Ensemble, and has been an artistic collaborator from the outset. She works regularly as a freelance viola player across Ireland & Scotland. -
![Alice Malseed - Belfast Ensemble]()
Alice Malseed
CREATIVE PRODUCER
Alice is a creative producer, writer, and dramaturg from Belfast. Alongside co-ordinating delivery of ensemble projects, she actively to project concept development and enhancement. -
![Elias Rooney - Belfast Ensemble]()
Elias Rooney
CELLO
Elias is a founding member of Belfast Ensemble. Originally from Belfast, he trained at the Royal Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has made Scotland his home.
He works regularly with the orchestras of English National Opera, Scottish Ballet, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra and RTÉ Concert Orchestra. -
![Jen Shepherd - Belfast Ensemble]()
Jen Shepherd
ADMIN & FINANCE ASSISTANT
With over two decades of experience working across Company Management, Production Management, and Arts Finance, Jen is a dedicated and confident arts administrator. -
![Dawn Hardwick - Belfast Ensemble]()
Dawn Hardwick
PIANO
A founding member of Belfast Ensemble, Welsh pianist Dawn Hardwick is a London-based soloist, contemporary music specialist, chamber, and orchestral musician, known as being the UK’s foremost interpreter of the music of John Psathas. -
![Aiveen Kelly - Belfast Ensemble]()
Aiveen Kelly
MARKETING ASSOCIATE
Aiveen is an agile, experienced, and confident marketing and communications professional. With over a decade of experience, including 5 years at the Lyric Theatre, she has a detailed understanding of the position, communication, and nuances of arts marketing and audience development. -
![Roger McCann - Belfast Ensemble]()
Roger McCann
DOUBLE BASS
Roger is a founding member of the Belfast Ensemble, and has been an artistic collaborator from the outset. He is a double bass player with a wealth of experience playing with the top UK and Ireland orchestras. -
![Ronan McKee - Belfast Ensemble]()
Ronan McKee
PERCUSSION
Ronan is a founding member of the Belfast Ensemble and a professional freelance percussionist and ensemble performer. He works at the highest level across a range of styles, collaborating with orchestras, contemporary ensembles, opera companies, chamber groups, dance companies, and folk, jazz, and rock artists.
TRUSTEES
Chair
Vice-Chair
Treasurer
Trustees
Rachel Brown
Kurt Taroff
Martin Noonan
Trish McTighe
Joe Rea
Olivia O’Kane
Orla McKibbon
TRUSTEES
Chair
Vice-Chair
Treasurer
Trustees
Rachel Brown
Kurt Taroff
Martin Noonan
Trish McTighe
Joe Rea
Olivia O’Kane
Orla McKibbon