Outreach
NCM is dedicated to making music accessible to all regardless of location or ability to pay.
We understand that many people won’t have access to our main series and have devised a range of concerts in the community so that everyone has an opportunity to hear live professional music making on their doorstep delivered to the highest professional standards.
In the immediate aftermath of Covid we noticed a very tentative return to the concert hall for musicians and audience alike. We realised that steps needed to be taken to ensure that people felt comfortable and safe attending our events. Out of this was born our coffee concert series which has seen our musicians perform in scores of care homes, local schools, community centres, hospitals and coffee houses since 2022 and in villages and towns throughout Newry Mourne and Down and South Armagh.
We have many new initiatives and opportunities for community involvement for our 25-26 season including an open mic piano event at our inaugural Piano Festival in February 2026 and an adult chamber music course details of which will be published here, along with our coffee concert dates.
It is a huge privilege for us to be able to offer live music events in our community. Our hope is that we can continue to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to get involved and experience the joy of live music together.
“My name is Saoirse Rippon, and I am a 15-year-old pianist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I love playing the piano, as I find it’s a way I can express myself musically and it helps me relax. At the 2026 Piano fest, I had the honour of taking part in a masterclass with Steven Osborne, a pianist who I’ve listened to many recordings of. At this masterclass, I not only got to hear performances from other gifted young pianists from all over Northern Ireland, but I also got to play for Steven myself. This was an amazing opportunity to not only get valuable advice from an experienced pianist, but also to perform in front of so many amazing musicians in the room. The performance itself was something I really enjoyed. I was playing on an amazing Steinway, which was great performance experience on such an instrument. Steven’s advice has stuck with me since that class. He taught me how to approach my playing from a technical and musical viewpoint, showing me practicing exercises to develop my finger work and how to voice lines on the piano. The Piano fest masterclass was something I feel genuinely improved not only my piece I played for Steven, (Liebestraum No.3) but also something which helped improve my piano playing as a whole. I would like to thank Newry Chamber Music for this opportunity. The high standard of performances that day was outstanding, and I was really inspired by some of the other players I heard. Also, I would like to thank Steven for his help, advise, and expertise which is truly valuable. Finally, I would really encourage other young pianists and musicians of my age to look out for opportunities like this. The Piano Fest is a great way for pianists to get advice from a professional and performance experience, something that is so important to develop in young musicians. I am so grateful for the opportunity and experience of playing at this event, and will definitely be going back in the years to come!”
Saoirse Rippon