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About HIVE

HIVE Choir is a vocal ensemble based in Belfast. Inheriting its membership and ethos from recent experimental choral projects in the city (Bird on a Wire and Belfast City Choir), HIVE is a testing ground for alternative musical notation, text scores vocal improvisation and sound games.

Under the direction of John D’Arcy, HIVE creates music from found text and often uses verbal notation and audio technologies, inviting participation from non-expert performers and audience members. 

Formed in 2017, HIVE has worked with Metropolitan Arts Centre Belfast, Belfast Film Festival, Belfast Book Festival, Moving on Music, PS2 gallery, Irish Sound Science and Technology Association, and were ‘Artists in Resonance’ at Open House Belfast 2018. 

Based at the Sonic Arts Research Centre, HIVE’s membership is composed of musicians from a variety of stylistic backgrounds (Irish traditional, pop, experimental), dancers, writers and researchers. 

In August 2019, HIVE were commissioned by Belfast City Council to produce site-specific performance tour Word on the Street, composed of found texts from the City’s published reports on cultural economy, community arts, and a recent draft strategy for cultural and arts in Northern Ireland. 

In late 2019, HIVE released a collection of live recordings, Songs and Games on net-label Quills That Whisper, accompanied by a limited edition 7” vinyl Song and Game

Contact HIVE

Contact HIVE for bookings, queries, or to express interest in joining the ensemble.

E-mail : hi (at) hivechoir.com

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HIVE Choir is directed by John D’Arcy