€5,000 Classical Music Prize for Top Teen Talent

Renowned Cork musician and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra violist Róisin Ní Dhúill has voiced her support for the 2024 Top Security/Frank Maher Classical Music Awards, the largest classical music competition for secondary school students in Ireland. The competition offers a €5,000 prize to the winner, aimed at furthering their musical education and development.

To launch the call for entries for the 2024 competition, Róisin Ní Dhúill participated in a photocall held at UCC alongside two talented young teen musicians, Róisín Martin, a French Horn student from Mount Mercy College, and Yannick Trillaud Daly, a Trombone student from Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh in Cork.

Reflecting on the competition, violist Ní Dhúill remarked: “I’m delighted to support the Top Security/Frank Maher Classical Music Awards as it provides a vital platform for young teenage Irish musicians to showcase their talent and pursue their passion for classical music.”

Founded in 2001 by Emmet O’Rafferty, chair of the Top Security Group, the Awards honour the legacy of his former teacher, Fr. Frank Maher, a pioneer in nurturing musical talent in Irish secondary schools. The competition expanded to a national scale in 2012.

The 2023 winner, pianist Joe O’Grady from Dublin, is now studying music as part of his Bachelor degree at Harvard University in Massachusetts.

O’Rafferty commented: “As we celebrate 13 years of the competition going national, we’re continually amazed by the calibre of teenage talent it attracts. Many of our past winners have gone on to build impressive careers in the field. We’re grateful to violist Róisin Ní Dhúill  of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for her support for this year’s competition and eagerly anticipate this year’s talented finalists.”

The list of past winners is a testament to the competition’s impact on young Irish classical musicians. They include violinists Daimee Ng and Julieanne Forrest, pianists Kevin Jansson and Aidan Chan and cellists Killian White and Sinead O’Halloran. These musicians have received international recognition and used their prize money to further their studies at prestigious institutions that include the Juilliard School, New York, MUK Vienna, Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, Hochschule für Musik und Theater (HfMT) Hamburg and the Royal College of Music in the UK.

Open to sixth-year post-primary students who play string, woodwind, brass instruments, or piano, the €5,000 prize can be used for attending a recognized place of tuition, a course of study either in Ireland or abroad, or for purchasing an item that will contribute to their musical development. The finalists will receive a €300 bursary.

The closing date for entries is Friday, 4th October 2024 and competition night is at the end of October.  For further details, competition rules, and to download an application form, visit www.frankmaherclassicalmusicawards.com.