Cork International Choral Festival has announced that it is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Seán Ó Riada Composition Competition. The competition invites new choral works from composers based or born in Ireland and offers a cash prize and a trophy.

The winning composition will receive its world premiere during the festival’s Gala Concert in St Fin Barre’s Cathedral on 2 May 2025, performed by Chamber Choir Ireland. The winning composer will also be invited to attend the festival as its guest.

Submissions are welcome from composers of all experience levels and the submitted work should be written for a cappella choir, in four parts and up to five minutes in duration. The text may be original or existing, in English or Irish. A panel of adjudicators, comprising composers and choral experts, will select the winning composition from the anonymous submissions. The composer’s name will be revealed only after the judges have made their decision.

The deadline for submissions is 6 December.

The Seán Ó Riada Competition was founded in 1972 and aims to enrich the repertoire of Irish choral music. Previous winners of the competition include Solfa Carlile, Rhona Clarke, Patrick Connolly, Frank Corcoran, Séamas de Barra, Eoghan Desmond, Amanda Feery, Donal Sarsfield, James May, Peter Leavy, ​​Daragh Black Hynes, Laura Heneghan, and last year’s winner, Anselm McDonnell. 

For further details on the competition, visit corkchoral.ie.

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