News – Ulster Orchestra bets on loyalty with Michael Collins appointment

A three-season appointment deepens an already well-established connection. Does it also hint at longer-term possibilities?

Clarinettist and conductor Michael Collins will commence a new principal guest artist role with the orchestra he first performed with after winning the first BBC Young Musician of the Year competition back in 1978. Now 62, Collins reunites with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast to embark on a recording and concerts as conductor and soloist.

In addition to his first professional post-competition concert, Michael Collins has additional form with the the Ulster Orchestra, performing and directing performances of Busoni’s Concertino and Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony in the 24/25 season. That this is now pitched as a long-term booking, hints that the connection he forms with players and audiences alike isn’t simply warmth in a press release, but something that is palpable on stage and in the rehearsal room.

It’s a canny move on the part of the Ulster Orchestra who, with a new season kicking off in September, continues its search of a replacement Music Director after Daniele Rustioni vacated post in May 2024. He preserves his connection with the orchestra as Music Director Laureate.

Audiences and players alike responded enthusiastically to Collins’ collaborative approach in the last season. The likeable craftsman is a reassuring presence on stage, and one who draws on a considerable history that will appeal to the core audience, many of whom will see him as a familiar face they can easily connect with. Amongst the comparatively conservative demographic, he’s someone who already has a connection with the audience – a known quantity and a plus point for a ticket sale.

 

Michael Collins 📷 Benjamin Ealovega

Might this long-term three season commitment be leading to a formalised partnership? Given his dual role of clarinettist and conductor (Collins has a CV including work with the BBC Symphony, Philharmonia, and Minnesota orchestras amongst others), there’s a question about whether this is in itself a pseudo-trial for the Music Director role itself. Whilst there’s no word either way, nor hint in the press release sent out earlier this week, much will surely depend on the extent to which this far from ceremonial role will build on audience loyalty, and help develop Ulster Orchestra’s UK-wide reputation. That’s important for the brand which has struggled to gain industry credit for its work in recent years.

It also gives, potentially, Ulster Orchestra management more time in its search for the right Music Director. Might some of this years season, some of them returning conductors, including Fiona Monbet, Gabriel Bebeșelea, Kerem Hasan, Kristin Sallinen, Anthony Hermus, Emilia Hoving, and Alpesh Chatham be contenders? They’ll need the same combination of experience, freshness, and charisma that Rustioni brought to the position. In the meantime, Collins sends a clear signal of stability and likeability.

In an era when orchestral marketeers are fixated on leveraging whatever they can technical or editorially to make their offer appeal to a younger demographic, this appointment is a timely reminder that long-term loyalty amongst those in the auditorium often yields more at the box office. Collins three year role appeals to the demonstrable tastes of the Ulster Orchestra’s existing and most engaged audience. Its a strategy that acknowledges where cultural capital resides and where ticket revenue might be best found. It also demonstrates that not all orchestral audiences are the same: a good season launch doesn’t demand a glossy online campaign, especially if the core audience isn’t looking at it.