SNIPPET: "In times of trouble, life is all about casting light into the darkness. The ability of the arts to inspire us is something that we all understand, and it is an honour for me to introduce the Ulster Orchestra to New York and to help New Yorkers rediscover their spirit of hope and optimism," words spoken by Michael McGIMPSEY, the Northern Ireland Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure, as he set the tone for the opening concert of a major United Kingdom-New York Festival just a month after the hi-jackings of aircraft in America on September 11, 2001, when emotions were still raw after the deaths of almost 4,000 innocent people. The devastation and loss of life in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in PA added a special poignancy to the visit of the Orchestra which itself had survived more than 30 years of terrorist violence in Northern Ireland. The concert, before an invited audience in the City College in Harlem, was a moving musical recognition of a special occasion at a time of distress. The opening piece by Belfast-born composer Deirdre GRIBBEN, 'The Unity of Being' was a thoughtful evocation of suffering, and was described by the composer herself as a 'a sort of peace anthem.' This was followed by a performance of spirituals by the NY Collegiate Choir, which itself had lost a member in the attack on the WTC. The final scheduled work was a powerful and sensitive performance of Felix MENDELSSOHN's mighty Second Symphony, also called 'The Hymn of Praise,' with occasional flavourings of BACH. After a special encore of the 'The Londonderry Air,' known as Northern Ireland's unofficial Na! tional Anthem, the evening finished with the Orchestra, choir and audience joining in 'America the Beautiful.' The concert, attended by Britain's PRINCE ANDREW and other leading figures, was the opening event in a two-week long 'UK with NY' Festival organised by the British Council. Earlier in the day Michael McGIMPSEY had visited a NYPD station with Lesley HATFIELD, leading violinist, and later a NYC fire station which had lost several colleagues in the WTC. Mr. McGIMPSEY's nephew, a NY fireman, had been trapped in the WTC and escaped from the 14th story by emergency chute after helping to shepherd scores of people to safety. Ms. HATFIELD said, "You can put across a message very effectively with music, and we were aware that we were in a city where terrible events had happened. We had met people who had experienced great trauma, and it was important to be there.... It is also very much part of our role as an orchestra to present the positive aspects of life in Northern Ireland. Before I took up my present post six years ago, I was with an orchestra in the north of England.... Since I came to Northern Ireland, I have not had a single bad experience. The province is a very pleasant place in which to live, the schools are good, and we have had no problems....We are up there with the major British orchestras... It is part of our role to develop artistically and to reach out to bigger audiences, but also to remind people in Northern Ireland that we are available to the entire community." There is a close liaison with 26 local councils, and also with Protestant and Catholic schools in all areas where the players visit classes, and involve the children in their music. The Ulster Orchestra performs regularly in Dublin, and it has taken part in Wexford and Kilkenny Festivals, and has also toured the west of Ireland. Formed in 1966, it has made more than 60 recordings and has toured Europe, Asia and America, as well as performed at the BBC Promenade Concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, London. When they are at home in Belfast, the orchestra is based in the Ulster Hall. There is more on the Orchestra by Alf McCREARY, journalist and author who lives and works in Northern Ireland, in the March-April 2002 issue of Dublin's "Ireland of the Welcomes" magazine. Besides several colorful photos taken on their NY tour, there is an especially nice one of Swiss-born Thierry FISCHER (its new Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser), at Laganside, near Belfast's Waterfront Hall. Relaxed and smiling, he is all but dominated by a clever large blue mosaic fish created by sculptor John KINDNESS. Per Mr. FISCHER, "... It is our role to take pieces from other centuries and to give them fresh sound, but also to keep an open mind about the music of our time. MOZART was not afraid of contemporary music, and neither are we." Of September 11th, he said that when he heard the new, "I was shocked and miserable... At the same time I felt great comfort at being able to work with the MENDELSSOHN score, as it gave me the assurance that despite everything, music can still offer hope."