2024 - 2025 Academic Year
General Information
A PDF Download of the Competitions Booklet and Quick Guide for 2024/2025 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 Accompaniement list for 2024/2025.
Competition Documents
- Competitions Booklet 2024 - 2025
- Competitions Quick Guide 2024 - 2025
- Recital Programme Form
- Competition Accompaniement 2024 - 2025
Competition Entry Forms
Competition entries must be made on 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
- Junior Speech & Drama Competition Entry Form
- Senior 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 29 – Saturday 30 November 2024
Age Limit: 14 years (15 years if wind, brass, percussion or double bass candidate)
Entry Fee: €20
Entries Open: Monday 4 November 2024
Entries Close: Friday 15 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.
Junior Speech and Drama Competition
Date of Competition: Saturday 30 November 2024
Age Limit: From fifth class in primary school to third year in secondary school.
Entry Fee: €15
Entries Open: Monday 4 November 2024
Entries Close: Friday 15 November 2024
The Junior Speech and Drama Competition is open to Conservatoire students who are currently enrolled in the School on speech and drama programmes. Candidates are required to perform one monologue from any published play, lasting between two and three minutes. 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 is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €50.
Senior Speech and Drama Competition
Date of Competition: Saturday 30 November 2024
Age Limit: Fourth, fifth and sixth-year secondary school students
Entry Fee: €15
Entries Open: Monday 4 November 2024
Entries Close: Friday 15 November 2024
The Senior Speech and Drama Competition is open to Conservatoire students who are currently enrolled in the School on speech and drama programmes. Candidates are required to perform one monologue from any published play, lasting between four and five minutes. 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 is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €100.
Senior Concerto Competition
Dates of Competition: Friday 17 – Sunday 19 January 2025
Age Limit: 19 years
Entry Fee: €20
Entries Open: Monday 9 December 2024
Entries Close: Friday 20 December 2024
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: Friday 17 – Sunday 19 January 2025
Entry Fee / Deposit: €20 / €50
Entries Open: Monday 9 December 2024
Entries Close: Friday 20 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 30 January – Saturday 1 February 2025
Age Limit: 14 years (15 years if wind, brass, percussion or double bass candidate)
Entry Fee: €20
Entries Open: Monday 9 December 2024
Entries Close: Friday 10 January 2025
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 27 – Sunday 30 March 2025
Age Limit:19 years
Entry Fee: €20
Entries Open: Monday 3 March 2025
Entries Close: Friday 14 March 2025
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 a One For All voucher to the value of €150.
The runner-up is awarded a One For All voucher to the value of €100.
The remaining finalists are awarded a 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: Friday 16 – Sunday 18 May 2025
Entry Fee / Deposit: €20 / €50
Entries Open: Monday 21 April 2025
Entries Close: Friday 2 May 2025
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, 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, 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).
Piano Accompaniment Competition
Date of Competition: Friday 23 May, 2025
Entry Fee / Deposit: €20 / €50
Entries Open: Monday 28 of April, 2025
Entries Close: Friday 9 of May, 2025
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.
Vanbrugh Chamber Music Competition
Date of Competition: Saturday 24 May, 2025
Entry Fee / Deposit: €20 / €50
Entries Open: Monday 28 of April, 2025
Entries Close: Friday 9 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.