Hearing live choral music may now be a distant memory for most, but Cork International Choral Festival is looking hopefully to the future. This week the festival launched the Seán Ó Riada Composition Competition for 2021, once again giving up-and-coming Irish composers the chance to have their work assessed and produced at an international level.

The competition awards a cash prize and the coveted Seán Ó Riada Trophy to the winning composer. The winning piece will be given its first performance by Chamber Choir Ireland at the Festival’s Gala Concert on Friday 30 April 2021, alongside the first-place entry of the 2020 competition (It Will Not Depart by Peter Leavy), the premiere of which was postponed from last May by the pandemic.

Full information on this year’s competition is available on the Festival’s website, and online applications are accepted at https://www.corkchoral.ie/sean-o-riada-composition-competition/, up to the deadline of the 29th January 2021.

With Heart And Soul And Voice, by Simon MacHale – Seán Ó Riada Competition Winner 2010:

Image of Chamber Choir Ireland © Ben McKee