Derry November 2025
For our 6th Ido concert we had the good fortune to perform with the internationally renowned choir Codetta in the wonderful Guildhall, Derry.
This was our first performance in the Maiden City and allowed to perform again with the wonderful conductor Sinead Hayes, with whom we previously performed in Belfast. She is held in high regard, not only by the IDO, but also by an ever increasing number of local and international professional orchestras, and it was such a pleasure to have her conduct us again.
Codetta Choir are an international prize-winning choir, based in Derry, and under the direction of Dónal Doherty, and with the fantastic soprano Charlotte O’Hare, they performed the wonderful Poulenc Gloria to a filled Guildhall.
The charity for this concert was the well-known local charity Foyle Search and Rescue. Foyle Search and Rescue is a registered, voluntary based charity operating in Derry/Londonderry. They operate a Suicide Prevention and Rescue Service on and around the river Foyle, one of the fastest flowing and coldest in Europe. Many of us who have worked in Altnagelvin Hospital, have seen the incredible job that they do first hand, and it was fitting that one of the organising committee, Dr Catherine Flanagan, had a family connection, as her cousin volunteers for them.
We were very grateful for the assistance of Derry City & Strabane District council, including Lord Mayor Ruairà McHugh, and the charity itself, in publicising our concert which managed to raise over £4084 to support the ongoing vital work of the charity.
Photo credit: Andrew Watson
