Belfast-born Christopher Bell is the Artistic Director of NYCoS. He is also Chorus Master of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Chorus Director of the Grant Park Music Festival, Chicago, and the Artistic Director of the Washington Chorus.
Christopher has worked with many of the major orchestras in the UK and Eire, including the Royal Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, BBC Scottish Symphony, Ulster, Scottish Chamber, City of London Sinfonia, London Concert, RTE National Symphony, RTE Concert and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras. He has been Associate Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra since 2009.
He was largely responsible for the formation of the National Youth Choir of Scotland in 1996 and has been its Artistic Director since then. The organisation has grown, not only as a choral group with 4 national choirs and 14 area choirs across Scotland but as a provider of educational training and resources for teachers and choir directors.
Christopher has received the following awards: a Scotsman of the Year 2001 for Creative Talent, the Charles Groves Prize in 2003 for his contribution to cultural life in Scotland and the rest of the UK, an Honorary Masters Degree from the Open University for Services to the Arts in 2009 and an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2012 for his contribution to the performing arts in Scotland. In 2013, Chorus America awarded Christopher the Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art. In 2015, he received the degree of Doctor of Music, Honoris Causa, from The University of Aberdeen.
Christopher has worked with many of the major orchestras in the UK and Eire, including the Royal Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, BBC Scottish Symphony, Ulster, Scottish Chamber, City of London Sinfonia, London Concert, RTE National Symphony, RTE Concert and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras. He has been Associate Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra since 2009.
He was largely responsible for the formation of the National Youth Choir of Scotland in 1996 and has been its Artistic Director since then. The organisation has grown, not only as a choral group with 4 national choirs and 14 area choirs across Scotland but as a provider of educational training and resources for teachers and choir directors.
Christopher has received the following awards: a Scotsman of the Year 2001 for Creative Talent, the Charles Groves Prize in 2003 for his contribution to cultural life in Scotland and the rest of the UK, an Honorary Masters Degree from the Open University for Services to the Arts in 2009 and an Honorary Doctorate of Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2012 for his contribution to the performing arts in Scotland. In 2013, Chorus America awarded Christopher the Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art. In 2015, he received the degree of Doctor of Music, Honoris Causa, from The University of Aberdeen.