The sound of music has been wafting through the Derry air for the past five days.
Thousands of people have flocked to the international choir festival, which is in its tenth anniversary year, and the first fully live festival since 2019 because of the pandemic.
More than 60 choirs from across Ireland and much further afield took part, from primary school children to more seasoned performers.
There were events and competitions in schools, community centres, shopping centres, churches and concert venues throughout Derry and across the border in Co Donegal.
"It's just been super," said festival manager Fiona Crosbie.
"It's been brilliantly attended with choirs coming from all over the world and also audiences coming from everywhere as well.
"We also get choirs bringing a whole entourage with them as well so it's a genuinely sort of full island festival, which is brilliant."
The festival formally opened in Derry's Millennium Forum on Wednesday night with a performance by Carmina Burana, a 100-voice chorus made up of singers from across the northwest, along with the Ulster Orchestra.
International performers during the week included the Polish Radio Choir, Finnish a cappella ensemble Rajaton, and the Tequila Choir from Mexico.
It was down to serious business at the Guildhall last night with five choirs battling to impress judges in the final of the International Competition.
They included two from Ireland, the multi-award winning Dublin Youth Chamber Choir and the Park Singers, formed in 1970 at the Phoenix Park School.
The other finalists were from America and Europe.
The festival's artistic director Donal Doherty said there was extra joy and motivation for the performers because pandemic restrictions had silenced them for a long time.
"It's a tremendous feeling. Everyone is so excited, the buzz around the venues where the competitions and the performances have been taking place is phenomenal," he said.
"It's as if the city has literally been electrified with the voices."
Mr Doherty said the organisers were not sure how the public would respond after an absence of the full live programme for three years, but were pleasantly surprised.
"It was Noah sending out the dove to spread the news about his ark," he said.
"We sent out our dove and presented the festival, but we weren't quite sure if the dove was going to return with anything, but a flock of them has appeared in the city this week. It's been truly inspirational."
There was a rousing reception at the international contest in the Guildhall last night for the choir from the Washington and Lee Universities in the US, who also performed in other venues during the week.
From Norway, came the 22-strong all-female Embla, the Norse name for the first woman on earth, Eve.
The final singers on stage were the Eller Girls' Choir from Estonia.
They won first prize at the festival when they competed five years ago and earlier this year were runners up in the Cork International Choir Festival.
The judging panel of choral directors from across Europe will crown the winner at a gala concert tonight, when each of the finalists will perform again.
Derry-born musician and composer Phil Coulter's iconic song about his home place, The Town I Loved So Well, talks of "music there in the Derry air".
The standard on display this week was a bit special.
