Christopher Bell

3-4-5 note songs

Belfast born Christopher Bell is the Artistic Director of National Youth Choir of Scotland. Alongside that he currently holds posts as Chorus Director of the Grant Park Chorus, Chicago, USA, Chorusmaster of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus, the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and of the Belfast Philharmonic Choir. In 2009 he became Associate Conductor of Ulster Orchestra.

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.

Christopher enjoys working with young people. Before his current posts with the RSNO and NYCoS, for six years he directed the TOTAL Aberdeen Youth Choir, touring and recording with them as well as conducting many concerts in the North East of Scotland. He was the first Artistic Director of the Ulster Youth Choir between 1999 and 2004. Between 2001 and 2008 he was Artistic Director of the highly successful Children's Classic Concerts series.

Christopher formed the National Youth Choir of Scotland in 1996 to encourage young singers to develop their skills. Since then the organisation has grown, not only as a choral group with four national choirs and area choirs across Scotland, but as a provider of educational training and resources for teachers and choir directors.

For his work with singers, and particularly his encouragement of young singers in Scotland, he was awarded a Scotsman of the Year 2001 award for Creative Talent. In 2003, he was awarded the Charles Groves Prize for his contribution to cultural life in Scotland and the rest of the UK. In 2009 he was awarded an Honorary Masters Degree from the Open University for Services to the Arts.