Tuesday 27 April – Thursday 29th April 2027
The Cork International Choral Festival is proud to host the first International Choral Composition Course as part of the festival.
Join us for a three-day intensive course where you will develop your skills in choral composition under the guidance of award-winning Irish composer Seán Doherty.
The course is designed for those with experience in music composition and the ability to use notation software who wish to develop their artistic practice in choral music.
The culmination of the course is a workshop with Chamber Choir Ireland, Ireland’s national and premier professional choral ensemble, and their conductor, Gabriel Crouch. The choir (8 singers) will sing the compositions, and Seán Doherty, Gabriel Crouch and the choir members will have the opportunity to offer their insights.
To ensure a dedicated experience, the maximum number of participants in the course is limited to 8. Spaces will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Seán Doherty is an award-winning composer from Ireland whose captivating works are fast becoming favourites of choirs worldwide. His music demonstrates a deep connection to text, often engaging with strong moral and social themes. His compositions have been described as ‘unfailingly gripping’ (Irish Times) and ‘music of power, subtlety and richness’ (Josep Vila i Casañas, World Youth Choir).
Introduced to music through the Irish fiddle tradition of his hometown, Derry, Seán was inspired as a teenager to begin composing after singing in a performance of Duruflé’s Requiem. He studied music at St John’s College, Cambridge, before completing a PhD in musicology at Trinity College Dublin. His music draws on a wide range of influences, from arcane medieval techniques to electronic dance music.
Seán’s choral works have been performed by leading ensembles including the Stellenbosch University Choir, the National Youth Choir of Scotland, Ex Cathedra, the Choir of Clare College Cambridge, New Dublin Voices, and the World Youth Choir. His music has received numerous awards, among them the Choir and Organ Magazine Composition Competition and the Béla Bartók Competition, Hungary.
He is Assistant Professor of Music at Dublin City University, where he teaches choral composition as part of an MA in Choral Studies. An active choral singer, Seán sings with the internationally acclaimed chamber choir New Dublin Voices, conducted by Dr Bernie Sherlock, who have premiered many of his works. His choral compositions are published by Cailíno Music Publishers.
Civic Trust House, Cork & Millennium Hall, Cork City Hall / MTU Cork School of Music
March 2026 (online)
Selected composers will meet with the tutor online in early March to discuss their ideas. They will then compose a new piece to be developed during the course. The piece should have no more than 8 parts to reflect the number of singers during the workshop.
Tuesday 28th April
- 09:00 Arrival and Registration
- 10:00 Introduction and Welcome
- 10:50 Break
- 11:00 Session 1: Composers 1 & 2
- 11:50 Break
- 12:00 Session 2: Composers 3 & 4
- 13:00 Lunch
- 14:00 Session 3: Composers 5 & 6
- 14:50 Break
- 15:00 Session 4: Composers 7 & 8
- 16:00 Personal revisions with individual supervision
- 17:00 End
Wednesday 29th April
- 10:00 Lecture: Conventions of Choral Music Notation
- 10:50 Break
- 11:00 Session 1: Composers 1 & 2
- 11:50 Break
- 12:00 Session 2: Composers 3 & 4
- 13:00 Lunch
- 14:00 Session 3: Composers 5 & 6
- 14:50 Break
- 15:00 Session 4: Composers 7 & 8
- 16:00 Personal revisions with individual supervision
Thursday 30th April
- 10:00 Lecture: Creative Approaches to Text-Setting
- 10:50 Break
- 11:00 Workshop: Writing for Young Voices
- 13:00 Lunch
- 14:00 Workshop with Chamber Choir Ireland (Composers 1–3)
- 15:00 Break
- 15:10 Workshop with Chamber Choir Ireland (Composers 4–6)
- 16:10 Break
- 16:20 Workshop with Chamber Choir Ireland (Composers 7–8)
- 17:00 End
As part of the registration process, composers will be asked to outline their experience or training in music composition. Applicants must upload one example of their choral composition as a PDF score, with either an audio realisation or a recording. If you have not previously written for choir, an instrumental or solo vocal piece will suffice
Registration deadline: Friday, 5th February 2027
- Full price: €295/person (inclusive of tea/coffee breaks)
- Conductors of participating choirs: €270/person (inclusive of tea/coffee breaks)
*Complete choir application or proof of payment of choir entry fee required
Payment can be made online at this link, or by cheque or bank transfer to the following account:
Bank details
Recipient: Cork International Choral Festival
Bank: Allied Irish Banks plc, Patrick’s Street, Cork, Ireland
IBAN: IE85 AIBK 9341 5105 1954 48
BIC: AIBKIE2D
Account Number: 05195448
Sort Code: 93 41 51
NOTE: Please ensure that your name is noted on bank transfer.
Participants booking tickets for our Gala Concerts can avail of a reduction of 15% on all Gala concerts. A discount code will be sent to all participants after registration.
Getting Here
By Plane
Cork International Airport operates flights to and from a wide range of international destinations.
Shannon International Airport (approximately 120km from Cork) and Dublin Airport (approximately 220km) cater for a wider range of destinations, with internal flights also in operation between Dublin and Cork.
By Train
Irish Rail / Iarnród Éireann provide regular mainline Intercity services to Kent Station, Cork from Belfast Central, Dublin Heuston and Connolly Station, Limerick.
By Bus
Bus Éireann offer a nationwide service to and from Cork, with Expressway/Intercity services. They also offer regional services if you plan to see some of the county and a Cork City service to get around town while here.
Accommodation
Each year the Festival compiles an Accommodation Guide with specially negotiated accommodation rates for attendees and visiting choirs.
Meals & more
In addition, we team up with the city’s best restaurants, bars, tourist sights and transport providers so that choirs are offered the best deals in town. View the Food & Drink Trail.
Broadcasting, recording & photographic rights
It is a condition of participation that participants agree that:
- Any performance/session during the Festival may be photographed, broadcast live and/or recorded for subsequent reproduction and/or broadcast on radio/television/internet without payment to the participants.
- All broadcasting and photographic rights to any session during the Festival shall belong to the Festival which will be free to dispose of them or utilise them in promotional materials as it sees fit. Members under 18 years of age need to provide proof of informed consent of their parents/carers is this regard.
- Any session during the Festival may, without payment, be recorded and the Festival shall be entitled to possession of any such recording and shall further be entitled to reproduce any such recording and to sell, let for hire, offer or exposure for sale or hire, distribute or otherwise dispose of any recording or reproduction of recording of any such performance in any manner as it sees fit.
Visa requirements
The process and cost of Visas are the sole responsibility of the participant. The Festival will support a participant through a letter of support on request.
General rules
- The Festival reserves the right to change its dates in the event that a concert, or other public event or any circumstance outside the control of the Festival renders it impracticable to hold the festival on the scheduled dates
- Entry fee (minus any bank charges incurred) will be refunded if the course cannot take place on the announced dates.
- A participant that withdraws from the course is not entitled to a refund of the participation fee.
- The Festival accepts no legal responsibility whatsoever in respect of anything pertaining to the participation in the course.
- The Festival accepts no responsibility or liability for accommodation and meal costs incurred by the participant.
- The Festival accepts no responsibility for any expense incurred by any individual participating in the course.
- Participation in the course implies acceptance of all the regulations.