The Contemporary Music Centre has recognized excellence in the performance of contemporary Irish music with special awards given to young instrumentalists recently.

Ireland’s largest competitive music festival, the Siemens Feis Ceoil, which took place in Dublin in late March this year, featured the Contemporary Irish Music Cup ‘for the best performance of works by living Irish composers’. In addition to the Cup itself, presented by Feis Ceoil, a cash prize was sponsored by the Contemporary Music Centre and presented at the competition by Niamh Tumelty, CMC’s Music Information Officer. The competition attracted a healthy entry of accomplished third-level performers who each played two contrasting works by living Irish composers. The adjudicator, Roger Bigley, was very impressed with the standard of entry.

The first prize of €100 and the Cup was awarded to Aoife Nic Athlaoich (cello) and Cliodhna Shanahan (piano), for their performances for Rhona Clarke's The Waterford Suite: Resolution and Carousel and Raymond Deane's Lichtzwang. The second prize was awarded to the Risc Saxophone Quartet, who performed a movement from John Buckley's Saxophone Quartet and Ian Wilson's ...so softly.

The IMRO Award for a new composition was awarded to Ann Cleare. Ann is currently studying composition at University College, Cork and she is Composer-in-Residence at the Cork International Choral Festival 2007.

Posted: 2 April 2007