Three new competitions to focus on contemporary Irish composers at Derry Feis

The brainchild of Feis Chairperson Ursula Clifford, two of the three competitions will also boast new cups, and all will see substantial cash bursaries awarded to the winners.

Ursula said: “Following on from the hugely successful Stanford Competition last year, when the Stanford Association asked the feis to mark the centenary of the death of the renowned Irish born composer and gave a £1,000 prize for the winner of a one-off competition, I thought it was a great chance to get today’s young musicians and singers to focus again on material that reaches back to the very origins of the feis and its ethos.

“So, I asked the committee to consider three new competitions looking at the work of Irish composers born after 1925 and was delighted that everyone was agreed that they should go ahead.”

The three competitions are for post-primary school choirs, pianists and solo singers.

Competition 453 is the post-primary choir competition where entrants can use two or three-part voices to perform a single piece from a contemporary Irish composer born after 1925. This competition will take place during the choral competitions on Tuesday, April 15 at St. Mary’s College. The winners will receive the new Patrick Carlin Cup and a £300 bursary in memory of the late conductor of The Colmcille Ladies Choir donated by his family and the choir who have of course a very long association with Derry Feis.

Winners of Competition 317 will receive the Clement and Eva Haan Cup donated by the Haan family in memory of their parents who were also steeped in the musical tradition of Derry and of course Feis Dhoire Cholmcille. The cup will be accompanied by £300 bursary. This competition seeks entries from those over 16 but under 21 who will play one piano piece by an Irish composer born after 1925.

The last of the trio of new events is Competition 436 and is for solo singers over the age of 16 who will perform one song by an Irish composer born after 1925. The winner of this competition will receive £1,000.

Ursula Clifford added: “Interest in these competitions has already been high and I would also like to thank all the families and sponsors for their continued interest in backing the musical development of our young people.

"Bursaries awarded by the feis every year contribute to the improvement of our already fantastic talent in the city and far beyond because the money is used for specialist training that might not be available to them otherwise.”

Entries for the new competitions and all other competitions in each section of Feis Dhoire Cholmcille as well as contact details for section secretaries can be found within the feis syllabus which can be downloaded from www.derryfeis.com.

The feis this year takes place from Tuesday, April 22 to Friday, April 25, 2025. And as said above, the choral competitions will take place on Holy Tuesday, April 15.