Be part of a sensational 68th festival from Wednesday 26th to Sunday 30th April 2023.
Secure your tickets at this link or become a Friend of the Festival by submitting the order form available on this page.
A 15% discount is available for groups of 10+ pax on all Gala Concerts.
We look forward to welcoming you to the 2023 festival!
We are thrilled to announce the selected choirs for the 2023 Fleischmann International Trophy Competition!
Each year some of the finest amateur choirs are selected to compete for the prestigious Fleischmann Trophy. Congratulations to the 13 choirs that will travel to Cork next year, and thanks to all the choirs who applied.
We look forward to a sensational 68th festival!
Dameskoor Furiosa [Belgium]
Shallaway Youth Choir [Canada]
Pueri Gaudentes [Czech Republic]
Mixed Choir HUIK! [Estonia]
The Academic Female Choir of Technical University of Tallinn [Estonia]
The Academic Women’s Choir of the University of Tartu [Estonia]
Continuum Youth Choir [Ireland]
Dublin Youth Choir [Ireland]
Mixed Chamber Choir of Vilnius University Hospital “Santara” [Lithuania]
Courage [Norway]
Coro Infanto Juvenil da Universidade de Lisboa [Portugal]
Coralia of the University of Puerto Rico [Puerto Rico]
Komorni Zbor Orfej - Chamber Choir Orfej [Slovenia]
More information on each choir will be published in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Join us on social media and be in with a chance to win a 2023 Double Friend of the Festival pass for the 2023 Gala Concerts worth €200!
Applications for the 2023 Fleischmann International Competition closed last month. We were overwhelmed with so many entries from amazing choirs from around the world! While waiting for the announcement of the selected choirs, leave a comment taking a guess of 5 of the 10 countries of next year's Fleischmann choirs to be in with a chance to win a 2023 Double Friend of the Festival pass (please enter only 5 countries in your comment). Check out our last post on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The lucky guesser will be announced upon the box office launch of our 2023 Gala Concert in December!
Now in its second year, the three-and-a-half day, intensive, hands-on course runs from 25th - 28th April 2023 and will offer a range of techniques to develop conducting skills under the leadership of expert international guest tutors Friederike Woebcken, Professor at University of the Arts Bremen and Erik Westberg, Professor of Choral Conducting and Choral Singing at the School of Music at Luleå University of Technology.
Both conductors studied under the renowned Eric Ericson in Stockholm. Prof Woebcken regularly tours internationally with the Madrigalchor Kiel and is an Artistic Board member of the International German-Scandinavian Music Week in Scheersberg. Erik Westberg has led numerous choirs in Sweden such as the YMCA Choir in Stockholm, the Oslo Philharmonic Choir, and the Swedish Radio Choir (guest conductor), while internationally, he has been engaged as guest conductor for Pro Coro Canada, Coro Nacional de España, Coro Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, and Jauna Muzika, Lithuania.
The course, which takes place in Cork City, will focus on core conducting skills such as physical gestures, good listening, repertoire details, rehearsal techniques, managing the ensemble, and leadership. Other key areas of developing conducting skills will be covered, including generating new repertoire ideas, as well as singing lessons with a focus on vocal health and helping yourself and others.
The culmination of all these skills will be displayed at an Ensemble Workshop on the final morning with Chamber Choir Ireland - Ireland’s flagship choral ensemble. This will be a public event.
Peter Stobart, Artistic Director, Cork International Choral Festival said, “The course is designed for anyone with experience in leading choirs of all kinds and is interested in taking their theory and practical skills to a new level while networking with other conductors. It will help conductors to guide their choirs, tempo, sound and expression. We are honoured to be joined this year by two world renowned conductors whose vast experience will provide a unique learning experience for participants.”
The cost is €295 per person, with a discount rate being offered to conductors of 2023 participating choirs. The rate includes tea/coffee breaks but does not cover main meals or accommodation. In order to create a bespoke experience for all participants, limited places will be available. More information and registration form are available here. Registration closes on 10th February 2023.
Cork Freemasons Presents
Fundraiser in aid of Samaritans, Cork Penny Dinners and the Cork International Choral Festival
Saturday 26th November 2022, from 7 pm
The Freemasons’ Hall, Cork
Easily Cork city’s most atmospheric room and the oldest performance space of the city, The Freemasons’ Hall of the Province of Munster Freemasons, located on Tuckey Street, Cork, is the venue for a special fundraising concert on Saturday November 26th 2022. This year’s event is to benefit Samaritans, Cork Penny Dinners and the Cork International Choral Festival.
The concert – entitled A Musical Miscellany and celebrating its 12th edition this year – will comprise of classical and contemporary music featuring CADA Performing Arts (Principal: Catherine Mahon-Buckley), Cantate (Musical Director: Daniel Beuster), The Rebels Quartet and Forte Women's Choir (Musical Director: Serena Standley), with special guests Anne Birmingham (soprano), Siobhan Coakley (mezzo soprano), Denis Lane (baritone), Eddie Dooley (classical guitar) and Tom Doyle (accompanist).
The evening will commence at 7 pm, with pre-concert drinks and canapés reception, with the concert commencing at 8 pm in the Lodge Room. Special raffle on the night with amazing spot prizes.
Tickets cost €25, including refreshments, and may be obtained by emailing the Masonic Hall at [email protected].
The International Choral Conducting Course will be back on Tuesday 25th - Friday 28th April 2023 as part of the 68th Cork International Choral Festival.
Designed for anyone with experience in leading choirs of all kinds, the four-day-day intensive hands-on course will help develop conducting skills under the leadership of expert international guest tutors (to be announced). The course will be completed with an Ensemble workshop with Chamber Choir Ireland and will help arm participants with both theory and practical methods of guiding their choirs.
Chamber Choir Ireland are the country’s flagship choral ensemble. Their programmes span from early renaissance to the present day, incorporating established choral classics with cutting edge commissions.
The participation fee is €295 pp (inclusive of tea/coffee breaks). Expressions of interest are being accepted at [email protected].
More details to follow over the next few weeks
Cork International Choral Festival presents:
After a two-year pause, Cork International Choral Festival is thrilled to announce the return of this popular evening with acclaimed soprano Fiona O'Reilly and tenor Ryan Morgan for an evening of festive carols, song and poetry in the stunning surrounds of St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral on Saturday 17th December 2022 at 7:30 pm.
Fiona and Ryan will be joined on the evening by actors and singers from CADA Performing Arts (principal Catherine Mahon Buckley), The Carrigtwohill Gospel Choir (conductor Aoibheann Carey-Philpott), The Voices (conductor Mary Pedder Daly), Choral Con Fusion (conductor Keith Dwyer Greene) and Scoil Mhuire Junior School Choir (conductor Maeve-Ann O'Brien).
Join us for this evening of beautiful singing and entertainment, great raffle prizes and mince pies… and a chance to sing along too!
The evening is directed by Catherine Mahon Buckley, aided musically by Michael Young and guarantees to deliver an evening of festive fuzziness.
Tickets priced at €25 (booking fees apply) are available online at this link and by phone at 021 4215125. Book now to avoid disappointment!
The Arts Council is seeking the procurement of Festival Advisory, Assessment and Research services to support the delivery of the Arts Council’s Festival Policy and Strategy 2020-2025.
They currently wish to encourage qualification applications from candidates in festivals and event management and they will be running mini-competitions for Advisory, Assessment and Research services through the Arts Council’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) which allows for a greater diversity of voices as the Arts Council works to support and develop the arts in Ireland in 2023.
The Artform Support Service Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) has been launched on eTenders (RFT 215450 - AC/2022/16).
The DPS is a two-stage process. The first stage is the qualification stage and involves applicants qualifying to be members of categories and sub-categories within the DPS: eg. Adviser Services (Category) Festivals (Sub-Category), by demonstrating sufficient skills and experience. Membership will be valid for the life of the DPS (10 years) and new candidates can join at any time during this period. In the second stage, qualified candidates will be invited to apply for opportunities within their categories/sub-categories when they arise.
Applicants may apply to: provide application assessment services, provide policy advice or conduct research projects. Those with a demonstrable background and experience in: festival and event programmes and management, festival and events academic research or arts policy development may wish to apply.
In line with the Arts Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, the Arts Council welcomes and encourages applications that are reflective of the diversity of Irish society.
Prospective applicants can discuss the above further by contacting in the first instance Laura Ivers at [email protected] or Head of Festivals and Events at [email protected]
Further information can be found on the Arts Council website.
The Cork International Choral Festival is delighted to announce that we are now accepting entries from Irish composers for the 2023 Seán Ó Riada Composition Competition. Judged by a panel of experts and composers of international renown, the competition awards a cash prize (kindly donated by the Ó Ríada family) and the Seán Ó Riada Trophy to the winning composer, and the selected piece will in turn be given its premiere performance by Chamber Choir Ireland at the Festival’s Gala Concert held in St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral on Friday 28 April, 2023.
The Seán Ó Riada Competition was created in 1972 in recognition of the creative life and work of Seán Ó Riada (1931-71). While the format has evolved over the years, the focus has always been on bringing both traditional and new pieces of Irish music to life and to new audiences, as well as encouraging the composition of contemporary music as Gaeilge. The current format focuses on new works from Irish composers and has a novel approach of scores being entered under pseudonym to protect the identity of the composer.
The winning composition will be selected by a panel, comprising of composers and choral experts. The selected composition will receive its premiere performance during the Festival at a Gala Concert given by Chamber Choir Ireland.
Since the new format was introduced 12 years ago, 261 original compositions have been entered, which highlights the renewed interest in, and healthy state of Irish composition. Previous winners of the competition include Solfa Carlile, Rhona Clarke, Patrick Connolly, Frank Corcoran, Séamas de Barra, Eoghan Desmond, Amanda Feery, Michael Holohan, Marian Ingoldsby, Donal Mac Erlaine, Simon MacHale, Michael McGlynn, Kevin O’Connell, Criostóir Ó Loingsigh, Donal Sarsfield, James May, Peter Leavy, Norah Constance Walsh and last year’s winner, Daragh Black Hynes. Several of these works have been published by international choral publishing houses.
The competition is open to composers born, or resident, in Ireland and applications are welcomed from both established and emerging composers. The score should be an original work, written for a cappella choir, and up to 5 minutes in duration. It should be in 4 parts, and the selected text may be original or existing, in the English, or Irish, language.
Applications are now being accepted and full information on the competition criteria is available here.
In collaboration with Chamber Choir Ireland and the Ó Riada Family Trust
We are looking for passionate candidates who are keen to establish a career in the festivals and music events industry. The internship positions are available for the period January-mid May 2023.
This is a great opportunity to be fully involved from the outset with the production of a well-established and exciting festival, and advance your existing creative skills by working with the Festival Team on a range of projects across media and platforms.
You will learn the basic fundamentals of festival events during the months leading up to the Cork International Choral Festival and you will be exposed to the management of all logistical needs of festival events including, but not limited to, box office, entertainment, catering, signage, audio/visual, merchandise, etc.
The internship will involve pre-production planning, content creation for our website and social media accounts, copywriting, proofreading, designing the festival programme booklet, and creating posters, flyers and online adverts. During the Festival days, you will be required to work on-site at our events (concerts, workshops, rehearsals) at different locations across Cork city and County, including working on marketing research/audience survey administration.
3-month internship period: min. 20 hours per week + increased hours during festival days (26th - 30th April 2023, schedule to be agreed).
The internship will take place in a hybrid form – online and at the office depending on the work involved. The candidate is required to be in Cork for the duration of the internship. Our offices are in Civic Trust House on 50 Pope Quays, Cork.
Online communication tools (VoIP/web conferencing platforms, chats, knowledge repositories, etc.) are in place to ensure that work can be carried out as a team and that the candidate receives appropriate and timely support and feedback. Use of own laptop and internet connection required (not provided).
This is an unpaid internship. We are flexible regarding working hours and start/end dates for the right candidate.
Please submit an application form available at the bottom of the page by 30th November 2022.
Founded in 1954 to be a dynamic force in developing choral music in Ireland, the Cork International Choral Festival is held annually over the five days preceding the first Monday in May in venues across the city, centering around the City Hall, one of the most attractive and acoustically superb venues in Ireland. It is one of Europe’s premier international choral festivals and is noted for its high competitive standards, excellent organisation, and the friendliness of its welcome. Each year some of the finest amateur international choirs are selected to compete for the prestigious Fleischmann International Trophy. The selected choirs also have an opportunity to perform non-competitively in a range of Festival activities presented over the weekend, including Fringe concerts, church and informal performances. Their presence gives audiences and Irish choirs the unique opportunity of attending a diverse range of concerts and competitive sessions while in Cork. As well as foreign choirs, the Festival annually features up to 100 Adult, Youth and School choirs who participate in National Competitions. Overall the Festival attracts some 5,000 participants. The festival continues to ensure that choral music, representative of many historical and cultural traditions, is brought to the people of Cork and the many visitors who travel to the city for the event.
If you require further information, please email: [email protected]
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