2025 - 2026 Academic Year
General Information
A PDF Download of the Competitions Booklet and Quick Guide are available at the links below. Alternatively scroll down on this page, all relevant information is available on this page. Also available are downloads of the Recital Programme Form and the Competition Accompaniment list.
Competition Documents
Competition Entry Forms
Competition entries must be made online via the official forms available below, and submitted by 4.30pm on the relevant closing date indicated on the form. Late entries will not be accepted.
- Junior Concerto Competition Entry Form
- Speech & Drama Competition Entry Form
- Senior Concerto Competition Entry Form
- Advanced Concerto Competition Entry Form
- Junior Recital Competition Entry Form
- Senior Recital Competition Entry Form
- Advanced Recital Competition Entry Form
- Piano Accompaniment Competition Entry Form
- Vanburgh Chamber Music Competition Entry Form
General Entry Regulations
The following rules apply to all competitions:
1) Competition entries must be made on the official form and submitted by 4.30pm on the relevant closing date. Late entries will not be accepted.
2) Competition fees must be paid online, details of which will be provided on the competition entry form.
a) Conservatoire students pay a non-refundable fee of €15/€20 per competition
b) Full-time students pay a refundable deposit of €50 per competition (deposit forfeited if student withdraws).
c) Chamber ensembles pay a single fee/deposit.
3) Age limits are determined from, and inclusive of, the date* of the competition.
4) An individual or ensemble awarded first place in any competition may not re-enter the same competition the following year.
5) No competitor may perform repertory that they have performed in any CSM competition in the previous three years (inclusive of the current academic year).
6) Competitions are not open to members of staff.
*Or final date in the case of competitions that take place over more than one day.
Junior Concerto Competition
Date of Competition: Friday 28 – Saturday 29 November 2025
Age Limit: 14 years (15 years if wind, brass, percussion or double bass candidate)
Entry Fee: €20
Entries Open: Monday 3 November 2024
Entries Close: Friday 14 November 2024
The Junior Concerto Competition is open to Conservatoire students who are currently enrolled in the School to study the instrument chosen for the competition. Candidates are required to perform, with keyboard accompaniment, a complete movement (or movements) from a concerto, to include cadenzas where appropriate. Chosen programmes must be between 8 and 15 minutes duration.
The winner is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €50.
Speech and Drama Competition
Date of Competition: Saturday 29 November 2025
Category one: Students currently studying for Grades 1 - 4
Category two: Students currently studying for Grades 5 - 8
They will be run one after another with prizes in both categories.
Entry Fee: €15
Entries Open: Monday 3 November 2025
Entries Close: Friday 14 November 2025
The Speech and Drama Competition is open to Conservatoire students who are currently enrolled in the School on speech and drama programmes. Entrants are required to perform a monologue from any published play. For category one, the monologue must be 2-4 minutes in length, and for category two the monologue must be 4-6 minutes in length. Use of simple costume and props is encouraged where appropriate. Students need to provide the title of the play, playwright and a brief paragraph outlining the context of the scene.
The winner of category one is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €50. The winner of category two is awarded a One For All Voucher to the value of €100.
Senior Concerto Competition
Dates of Competition: Friday 16 – Saturday 17 January 2026
Age Limit: 19 years
Entry Fee: €20
Entries Open: Monday 8 December 2025
Entries Close: Tuesday 23 December 2025
The Senior Concerto Competition is open to Conservatoire students who are currently enrolled in the School to study the instrument chosen for the competition. Candidates are required to perform, with keyboard accompaniment, a complete concerto, to include cadenzas where appropriate.
The winner is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €100 (presented to the School by the Bridget Doolan Trust) and, where possible, given an opportunity to perform as a soloist with one of the School’s orchestras.
Advanced Concerto Competition
Dates of Competition: FSunday 18 – January 2026
Entry Fee / Deposit: €20 / €50
Entries Open: Monday 8 December 2024
Entries Close: Tuesday 23 December 2024
The Advanced Concerto Competition is open to students who are currently enrolled in the School to study the instrument chosen for the competition. Candidates are required to perform, with keyboard accompaniment, a complete concerto, to include cadenzas where appropriate. Chosen repertoire must demonstrate an advanced level of technical skill and musical ability.
The winner is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €150 and, where possible, given an opportunity to perform as a soloist with one of the School’s orchestras.
Junior Recital Competition
Dates of Competition: Thursday 29 - Saturday 31 January 2026
Age Limit: 14 years (15 years if wind, brass, percussion or double bass candidate)
Entry Fee: €20
Entries Open: Monday 5 January 2026
Entries Close: Friday 16 January 2026
The Junior Recital Competition is open to Conservatoire students who are currently enrolled in the School to study the instrument chosen for the competition. Candidates are required to perform a programme of not more than 15 minutes duration, showing an ability to interpret a range of styles. Competitors may not include more than one movement from a concerto* in their programme or perform repertoire requiring more than one other collaborator.
The winner is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €100.
The runner-up is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €75.
The remaining finalists are awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €50 each.
Where applicable, a One For All voucher to the value of €50 will be awarded to each of the following: highest-placed pianist, violinist, violist, cellist/double bassist, guitarist, woodwind player, brass player, singer and percussionist.
* With reference to Rule 5, no competitor may perform repertory that they have performed in any CSM competition in the previous three years (inclusive of the current academic year).
Senior Recital Competition
Dates of Competition: Thursday 26 – Saturday 28 March 2026
Age Limit:19 years
Entry Fee: €20
Entries Open: Monday 2 March 2026
Entries Close: Friday 13 March 2026
The Senior Recital Competition is open to Conservatoire students who are currently enrolled in the School to study the instrument chosen for the competition. Candidates are required to perform a programme of not more than 20 minutes duration, showing an ability to interpret a range of styles. Competitors may not include more than one movement from a concerto* in their programme or perform repertoire requiring more than one other collaborator.
The winner is awarded an One For All voucher to the value of €150.
The runner-up is awarded an One For All voucher to the value of €100.
The remaining finalists are awarded an One For All voucher to the value of €75 each.
Where applicable, a One For All voucher to the value of €50 will be awarded to each of the following: highest-placed pianist, violinist, violist, cellist/double bassist, guitarist, woodwind player, brass player, singer and percussionist.
* With reference to Rule 5, no competitor may perform repertory that they have performed in any CSM competition in the previous three years (inclusive of the current academic year).
Advanced Recital Competition
Dates of Competition: Thursday 14 – Sunday 17 May 2026
Entry Fee / Deposit: €20 / €50
Entries Open: Monday 20 April 2026
Entries Close: Friday 1 May 2026
The Advanced Recital Competition is open to students who are currently enrolled in the School to study the instrument chosen for the competition. Candidates are required to perform a programme of not more than 25 minutes duration, showing an ability to interpret a range of styles. Competitors may not include more than one movement from a concerto* in their programme or perform repertoire requiring more than one other collaborator.
The winner is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €200.
The runner-up is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €150.
The remaining finalists are awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €75 each.
Where applicable, an One For All voucher to the value of €50 will be awarded to each of the following: highest-placed pianist, violinist, violist, cellist/double bassist, guitarist, woodwind player, brass player, singer, percussionist, traditional Irish performance and period performance.
* With reference to Rule 5, no competitor may perform repertory that they have performed in any CSM competition in the previous three years (inclusive of the current academic year).
Vanbrugh Chamber Music Competition
Date of Competition: Friday 22 May, 2026
Entry Fee / Deposit: €20 / €50
Entries Open: Monday 27 of April, 2025
Entries Close: Friday 8 of May, 2025
The Vanbrugh Chamber Music Competition is open to ensembles whose members are currently enrolled as students in the School. Eligible ensembles may contain from two to nine members, and no change in membership will be permitted after the closing date for entry. Ensembles may perform one complete work and/or an appropriate number of movements from different works. The total programme should not exceed 25 minutes duration.
The winners are awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €200.
The runners-up are awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €100.
At the discretion of the Vanbrugh and the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, a prize-winning ensemble may be invited to attend and/or take part in the West Cork Chamber Music Festival.
Piano Accompaniment Competition
Date of Competition: Saturday 23 May, 2026
Entry Fee / Deposit: €20 / €50
Entries Open: Monday 27 of April, 2026
Entries Close: Friday 8 of May, 2026
The Piano Accompaniment Competition (formerly the May O’Neill Scholarship for Piano, instituted in memory of the late May O’Neill, staff member at the School for over forty years) is open to students who are currently enrolled in the School. Candidates are required to accompany a singer or an instrumentalist in a programme of 15 to 20 minutes duration, showing an ability to interpret a variety of styles. The programme must include works and/or movements from at least two of the following periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, post-1900 (singers must include at least one example of French chanson or German Lied). Candidates will also be provided with a quick-study piece approximately 24 hours before the competition.
The minimum number of entries required for the competition to take place is three.
The winner is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €150.
The runner-up is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €75.