Step into the spirit of the festival through the lens of our talented photographers, who captured the joy, energy, and unforgettable moments of this 2025's edition.
Relive the magic — one beautiful moment at a time.

The complete photo gallery for the 2025 festival is now available! At dette link, you can explore the stunning images captured by our brilliant photographers, who have beautifully documented the unforgettable moments of this year's festival.

Stay tuned for more videos from the festival, which will be shared on our social media platforms in the coming weeks. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, og X to stay updated and relive the festival magic!

The Cork International Choral Festival came to a climactic penultimate close with its Awards Ceremony at 5.45pm, Sunday 4th May 2025 in Cork City Hall. Following a hugely successful Festival, the Jury results were finally announced for all sections of the Festival’s varied and prestigious categories. International and national choirs from near and far waited nervously for the announcements.  The following are the results for all categories:

Photography by Darragh Kane

Prisvindere af Fleischmann International Trophy Competition

1. præmie

Kor: Chamber Choir of the Collegium Musicum Berlin, GERMANY

Leder: Donka Miteva

93.17%

2. præmie

Kor: Kammerkoret NOVA, NORWAY              

Leder:  Julia Selina Blank   

92.33%

3. præmie

Kor: Stockholms Musikgymnasium Youth Choir, SWEDEN            

Leder: Maria Goundorina

92.17%

Internationale priser

Lady Dorothy Mayer Memorial Trophy

Doneret af Chris Mahon

Særlig pris for opførelsen af et stykke i Fleischmann International Trophy Competition.

Tildelt til:

Kor: McMaster University Choir - Mixed Chorus, Canada 

Leder: Prof. Melanie Tellez

Til udførelsen af: Rauði riddarinn - Hreiðar Ingi Þorsteinsson

Schuman/Europe Trophy

Til minde om Moira Pyne (1916 – 2009)

Særlig pris for opførelsen af et stykke af en levende europæisk komponist i Fleischmann International Trophy Competition.

Tildelt til:

Kor: Coro Sinfonía, SPAIN    

Leder: Selena Cancino  

Til udførelsen af: Verde mar - Bernadet Kühne

Heinrich Schütz evighedstrofæ

Til minde om Hans Waldemar Rosen

Særlig pris for opførelsen af et korværk af Heinrich Schütz i de nationale eller internationale konkurrencer.

Tildelt til:

Kor: Junges Consortium Berlin [GERMANY]          

Leder: Vinzenz Weissenburger

McCurtain og McSwiney Memorial Trophy

Doneret af Cork Council of Trade Unions

Specialpris, der er besluttet af medlemmerne af den internationale jury, til en dirigent i den internationale konkurrence for udførelse af et fantasifuldt og kunstnerisk program. Modtageren af dette trofæ modtager også en særlig pris, venligst doneret af Musica International, som giver dem fuld adgang til Musica Internationals hjemmeside og deres virtuelle korbibliotek. Musica International er et stort projekt af International Federation for Choral Music.

Tildelt til:

Leder: Maria Goundorina   

From: Stockholms Musikgymnasium Youth Choir [SWEDEN]            

FRED Trofæ

Doneret af PEACE Movement Cork

Tildelt til det kor, der bedst omfavner festivalens ånd og opfylder trofæets velgøreres intentioner, PEACE Movement, Cork.

Tildelt til:

Kor: Mount Royal Kantorei, Canada   

Leder:  John Morgan

Irlands kor af året

ÅRETS IRLANDS KOR

og

Modtager af Victor Leeson Perpetual Trophy

Doneret af Guinness Choir til minde om dets grundlægger Victor Leeson

1. præmie

Kor: UCC Singers [CO. CORK]             

Leder:  Ben Jacob  

88%

2. præmie

Kor: MTU Glór Choral Society [CO. CORK]                                      

Conductor: Dylan Tierney 

 82.56%

3^rd Præmie

Kor: Alma Choir [CO. CORK]         

Leder: Grace Bergin                                         

82.44%

Årets IBEC Workplace Choir

1^st Placere

Kor: The Musgrave Workplace Choir [MUSGRAVE, CORK]          

Conductor:  Saoirse Daly      

86.17%

2^nd Placere

Kor: City Hall Singers [CORK CITY COUNCIL, CORK]               

Leder: Lorna Moore    

85.33%

3^rd Placere

Kor: Liberty IT Choir [LIBERTY IT, ANTRIM]                

Leder: Donal McCrisken

84.83%

Nationale Voksenkonkurrencer

Landskonkurrence for kammerkor

1. præmie

Kor: Dynamics Vocal Ensemble [CO. WICKLOW]                       

Leder: Jennifer Lee

88.33%            

2. præmie

Kor: Calliope [CORK]                     

Leder: Sam Guisinger

85.33%            

National Competition for Equal Voice Choirs

1. præmie

Kor: Réalta Chamber Choir [CO. MEATH]        

Leder: Claire Grogan

90.83%

2. præmie

Kor: The Wilcollane Singers [CO. CORK]         

Leder: Anne Dunphy 

87.67%

3. præmie

Kor: Inver Singers [CO. WICKLOW]      

Leder: Frank Kelly  

84.67%

Landskonkurrence for blandede stemmekor

1. præmie

Kor: Trinity College Singers [CO. DUBLIN]         

Leder: Donncha McDonagh 

88.40%

2^nd Præmie

Kor: Millicent Singers [CO. KILDARE]           

Leder: Alan Kelly   

86.00%

3. præmie

Kor: Lumina [CO. WATERFORD]            

Leder:  Niall Crowley  

83.70%

Landskonkurrence for ungdomskor

1. præmie

Choir: SETU Youth Choirs [CO. WATERFORD]         

Dirigent: Niall Crowley 

86%

Landskonkurrence for lys, jazz og populærmusik

1. præmie

Choir: Belle Harmonics [CO. DUBLIN]         

Conductor: Sharon Heron   

90.67%

2. præmie

Choir: The Wilcollane Singers [CO. CORK]            

Dirigent: Anne Dunphy  

89.50%

Landskonkurrence for kirkemusik

1. præmie

Choir: UCC Singers, CO. CORK        

Dirigent: Ben Jacobs 

89.50%

2. præmie

Choir: Réalta Chamber Choir CO. MEATH           

Conductor: Claire Grogan    

87.00%

Særlige priser – Nationale Voksen- og Ungdomskonkurrencer

Irish Federation of Musicians & Associated Professions Trophy

Særlig pris for opførelsen af et korværk på irsk.

Tildelt til:

Kor: Ashton Skolekor                           

Leder: Mary G. O'Brien

Til udførelsen af: Óre; sé do bheatha ‘bhalile

Perpetual Trophy for opførelsen af irsk moderne kormusik
Doneret af The Contemporary Music Center

Specialpris for opførelsen af et originalt korværk af en irsk komponist skrevet efter 1975 og valgt fra bibliotekssamlingen i Contemporary Music Centre.

Tildelt til:

Kor: Réalta Chamber Choir                  

Leder: Claire Grogan       

Til udførelsen af: Cast a cold eye by Micheal Holohan in the Equal Voices Competition

John Mannion-trofæet

Doneret af John Mannions familie

Særlig pris til et kammerkor for opførelsen af et værk i de nationale konkurrencer.

Tildelt til:

Kor: Trinity College Singers

Leder: Donncha McDonagh 

Til udførelsen af: Tykus tykus by Vaclovas Augustinas in the Mixed Voices competition

Seán Ó Riada kompositionskonkurrence

Seán Ó Riada Trophy

Awarded to Composer, Donnchadh Mac Aodha, for his work Babel

Nationale Konkurrencer for Skoler

National Competition for Schools: (Primary School Choirs)

1. præmie

Kor: Cór Scoil an Spioraid Naoimh Cailíní [CO. CORK]           

Leder: Maeve-Ann O'Brien    

91%

2. præmie

Kor: Cratloe National School [CO. CLARE]            

Leder: Bernadette Kennedy   

90%

National Competition for Schools: (Equal Voice Post-Primary School Choirs)

1. præmie

Kor: Regina Mundi College Chamber Choir [CO. CORK]            

Leder: Gráinne O'Neill   

93%

2. præmie

Kor: Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles. [CO. TIPPERARY]    

Leder: Joan Butler    

92.50%

National Competition for Schools: (Mixed Voice Post-Primary School Choirs)

1. præmie

Kor: Glanmire Community College [CO. CORK]           

Leder: Ann Mannix   

93.50%

2^nd Præmie

Kor: St Patrick’s Cathedral Grammar School Choir [CO. DUBLIN]           

Conductor: Judith Lyons  

92.50%

Særlige priser – Nationale konkurrencer for skoler

FESTIVALENS SKOLEKOR

og modtageren af John Cunningham-trofæet.

Uddelt til skolekoret, der fik den højeste samlede karakter i de nationale konkurrencer for skoler.

Tildelt til:

School: Glanmire Community Choir, CORK           

Conductor: Ann Mannix     

Det Syng Irland Trofæ

Særlig pris for opførelsen af et stykke i de nationale konkurrencer for skoler.

Til udførelsen af: Hymne fra Chess, i den nationale konkurrence for skoler: Afsnit 2: Post Primary Equal Voice

Kor: De La Salle College Senior Choir           

Leder:  Ben Hanlon       

Det Syng Irland Kurs for dirigenter

Særlig stipendiepris til en dirigent i skolekonkurrencer for at deltage i Sing Irelands årlige sommerskole.

Tildelt til:

Lorna Ní Bhroin

Dirigent for Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ, LIMERICK

Cork International Choral Festival er støttet af Arts Council, Fáilte Ireland, Cork City Council og Cork County Council, med Irish Examiner, The Echo og Cork's 96FM som mediepartnere.

Tickets for the Chamber Choir Ireland on Friday 2nd May at 7:30pm, St Fin Barre's Cathedral, are sold out.

Vi er glade for den overvældende interesse igen i år! Tak til jer alle, og vi glæder os til at se jer der.

2025 Gala Concerts Schedule:

Wednesday, 30th April, 8pm: Opening Gala, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius
East Cork Choral Society, Guinness Choir & Cork Fleischmann Symphony Orchestra, Cork City Hall. Tickets: €25/€30/€35 (back parterre/front parterre/gallery) – Book now

Thursday, 1st May, 8pm: Syng Selected (Denmark)
Cork City Hall. Tickets: €25/€30/€35 (back parterre/front parterre/gallery) – Book now

Friday, 2nd May, 10pm: Cappella Pratensis (The Netherlands), Josquin in Rome
St. Fin Barre's Cathedral, Cork. Tickets: €25 – Book now

Saturday, 3rd May, 3pm & 8pm: Fleischmann International Gala
Cork City Hall. Tickets: €20/€25/€30 (back parterre/front parterre/gallery) – Book now

Sunday, 4th May, 8pm: Closing Gala Concert
Cork City Hall. Tickets: €25/€30/€35 (back parterre/front parterre/gallery) – Book now

The Cork International Choral Festival has officially launched its 70th anniversary programme, promising a spectacular celebration of choral music this May bank holiday weekend.

Now in its 70th year, Cork’s longest-running festival will welcome over 117 performing groups, including 20 international choirs, who will fill venues across the city with music, colour, and culture. With more than 700 international visitors and thousands more local participants and audiences expected, this year's event is shaping up to be one of the biggest yet.

Speaking, with Irish Examiner, at the launch in Cork City Hall, Artistic Director Peter Stobart shared his excitement about this milestone year:

“We’ve got 20 international choirs visiting – they’ve got to be the highlight. They bring a variety of colourful costumes, different languages, and unique choral styles. All of that being brought into Cork is such a significant thing.”

At the heart of the festival is the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition, which draws world-class amateur choirs from around the globe to compete at the highest level. Events will take place across a variety of iconic venues, including Cork City Hall, St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, St Colman’s Cathedral in Cobh, og the Marina Market, with choral pop-ups also expected to bring music to the streets of Cork.

🎟️ The full festival schedule is now available online

Vinderkompositionen får premiere på Cork International Choral Festival

Donnchadh Mac Aodha has been announced as this year’s winner of the prestigious Seán Ó Riada composition competition. The annual competition celebrates new works from Irish composers and is held in collaboration with the Cork International Choral Festival and Chamber Choir Ireland. Donnchadh Mac Aodha's winning composition, ‘Babel’, will have its world premiere at St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral Cork on Friday, May 2^nd, at 7.30pm. 

A Dundalk native and UCC student, Donnchadh’s current compositional work draws inspiration from his roots in traditional music and the Irish language, seamlessly blended with his training in contemporary composition, led primarily by John Godfrey at UCC. Through his work, Donnchadh looks to push and remold apparent boundary lines between music genres to create a unique blend of old and new. The inaugural performance of ‘Babel’ will be part of the Cork International Choral Festival’s annual collaborative concert with choir-in-residence, Chamber Choir Ireland, led by their Guest Director Gabriel Crouch. This promises to be a night of exceptional musical talent. 

Seán Ó Riada-konkurrencen, som har kørt i over 50 år, giver en platform for irske komponister til at få deres arbejde bedømt og belønnet udelukkende på dets egne fortjenester. Indsendelser foretages under pseudonymer, hvilket sikrer anonymitet indtil efter dommernes afgørelse er truffet. Konkurrencen har til formål at præsentere irske kor med frisk, autentisk materiale til deres programmer og har tiltrukket anerkendte komponister gennem sin historie. 

Chamber Choir Ireland member and composer Eoghan Desmond, conductor Orla Flanagan, and Guest Conductor of Chamber Choir Ireland, Gabriel Crouch, who evaluated McDonnell's winning piece, summarised their reaction, stating, 'Babel' makes a rich contribution to Irish choral literature. The contemporary relevance of Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh's Irish-language poem is striking, with an unsettling sense of lofty ideals soured by arrogance and pride. The composer's musical setting reflects this and is both sensitive and expressively impactful. The phrases inflect upwards, yearning for something, but falter in the (quite deliberate) absence of harmonic stability. The effect is sobering, and captivating. It has a distinct musical identity, and shows great fluency in its approach to choral writing.

With more than 250 compositions being submitted in the past 10 years of the new format, the Seán Ó Riada Composition Competition illustrates the number of composers now working and living in Ireland, and further demonstrates the Cork International Choral Festival’s continuing commitment to encourage the composition and performance of contemporary music. Past winners include Solfa Carlisle, Rhona Clarke, Patrick Connolly, Frank Corcoran, Séamas de Barra, Eoghan Desmond, Michael Holohan, Marian Ingoldsby, Donal MacErlaine, Simon MacHale, Kevin O’Connell, Amanda Feery, Criostóir Ó Loingsigh, Donal Sarsfield, James May, Peter Leavy, Norah Constance Walsh, Darragh Black Hynes, Laura Heneghan and last year’s winner Anselm McDonnell

This year’s Cork International Choral Festival which is set to bring Cork to life with song takes place from 30^th April – 4^th May 2025.

Mere om komponisten: 

Donnchadh Mac Aodha is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Dundalk, Co.Louth. In 2024, he graduated from UCC with a 1^st-class honours degree in Music and Irish, where he was a Quercus Creative & Performing Arts Scholar.

Donnchadh’s current compositional work draws inspiration from his grounding in traditional music and the Irish language, intermingled with his training in contemporary composition, led primarily by John Godfrey at UCC. His pieces have been performed at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival, Ostrava Days Festival, West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival, The Irish Composers Collective Festival and the New Ross Piano Festival. In 2024 he was commissioned to write a suite for Consairtín, premiered in Glór, Ennis. Donnchadh’s final-year Major Study composition project, Éist le Fuaim na hAbhann: Echoing Sean-nós in Contemporary Classical Composition, won the Danijela Kulezic-Wilson Undergraduate Award for Exceptional Innovation in Research.

Donnchadh has performed extensively in Ireland, Europe, and beyond. A four-time All-Ireland Champion at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Donal ‘Doc’ Gleeson Award, UCC Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann bursary, and the Mícheál Ó hÉidhin medal. He was also a finalist in the Bonn Óir Seán Ó Riada competition three times, and holds an Advanced Recital Certificate in piano from RIAM.

We're looking for passionate volunteers to join us for the 2025 Cork International Choral Festival on Wednesday 30th April - Sunday 4th May 2025!

If you're interested in being part of the 70th Edition of this amazing event that celebrates choral music and brings people together from around the world, then we want you!

Som et tegn på vores tak er der nogle gode frynsegoder for frivillige, fra gratis billetter til shows, til invitationer til festivalreceptionen!

We will welcome any volunteers who are willing to lend their hands, hearts and voices.

It's now time to announce the fantastic ten international non-competitive choirs joining us in Cork this May. We can't wait to enjoy their performances! You can find out more about each of them in the 'Kor og foredragsholdere' sektion af vores hjemmeside.

Cork International Choral Festival er glad for at kunne invitere folkeskoler til at deltage i workshoppen 'Singing Together - Ag canadh le chéile' på Tuesday, 4th March 2025 from 10am – 11.45am in Cork City Hall, as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge 2025.

Denne workshop for folkeskolebørn tilbyder en sjov og lærerig mulighed for at lære musik på det irske sprog. Ledet af Abby Ní Loingsigh og hendes ensemble, vil begivenheden guide skoler i at mestre et simpelt korarrangement af en irsk folkesang, hvilket fremmer en fælles sangoplevelse. Derudover vil eleverne blive introduceret til forskellige traditionelle irske instrumenter, vil udforske forskellige kategorier af irske dansemelodier og sange, og vil øve sig i at synge irske ord i harmoni med andre deltagere. Arrangementet har til formål at øge forståelsen af kormusik og dyrke en påskønnelse af det irske sprog og musiktradition.

Under workshoppen vil eleverne fordybe sig i at skabe en akkord med deres stemmer, hvor store grupper synger tre eller flere forskellige toner. Sessionen vil også byde på en livlig og interaktiv demonstration af irske instrumenter og melodityper, der inkorporerer lærelige rytmer til at identificere melodierne. Kropsslagtøj vil blive brugt i denne sektion af begivenheden for ekstra engagement.

Registrering

Prisen for workshoppen er 5 €/studerende (entré er gratis for lærere og personale). For at reservere din plads, tak complete the registration form below by Friday, 7th February, and send payment either online at dette link, or by bank transfer or cheque to the following account:

Modtager: Cork International Choral Festival
Bank: Allied Irish Banks plc, Patrick's Street, Cork, Irland
IBAN: IE85 AIBK 9341 5105 1954 48
BIC: AIBKIE2D
Kontonummer: 05195448
Sorteringskode: 93 41 51
BEMÆRK: Sørg for, at skolens navn er noteret ved bankoverførsel.

Tilmeldinger anses for at være afsluttet ved modtagelse af betaling og vil være garanteret efter først-til-mølle-princippet.

Hvis du har spørgsmål, så tøv ikke med at kontakte os på e-mail eller telefon.

Vi håber at høre fra dig snart!

Drumroll, please!

We’re thrilled to announce the choirs selected for the 2025 Fleischmann International Trophy Competition. Each year, top amateur choirs from across the globe compete for the honour of winning the prestigious Fleischmann Trophy.

A huge congratulations to the 10 choirs that will be joining us in Cork next year – we can’t wait to welcome you!

Chamber Choir of the Collegium Musicum Berlin, Germany
Coro Sinfonia, Spain
Junges Consortium Berlin, Germany
Kammerkoret NOVA, Norway
McMaster University Choir - Cantemus Treble Ensemble, Canada
McMaster University Choir - Mixed Chorus, Canada
Mixed Choir "Ventspils", Latvia
Mount Royal Kantorei, Canada
St Mary Treblemakers, Canada
Stockholms Musikgymnasium Youth Choir 2025, Sweden

Tickets for the Fleischmann International Gala Concerts on Saturday 3rd May 2025 are already on sale at dette link!

We’re thrilled to announce that tickets for Jul i Domkirken on Saturday, 23rd November, are now SOLD OUT!

Don’t miss your chance to experience this magical evening—there are just a few tickets remaining for the Sunday, 24th November performance, featuring the exceptional guest soprano, Majella Cullagh.

🎟️ Secure your tickets now her.

Join us for an unforgettable musical celebration of the festive season in the stunning surroundings of St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral, under the direction of Catherine Mahon Buckley.