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String Quartet Composition Competition
String Quartet Composition Competition
West Cork Music champions and showcases the talent of young composers through its prestigious annual String Quartet Composition Competition. Open to Irish citizens and residents aged under 35, the contest reflects West Cork Music’s deep commitment to fostering and celebrating talent in the Irish chamber music scene.
Competition Structure
The annual competition for the composition of a new string quartet is open to young Irish and Irish-resident composers. A Call for Scores is publicised each November. The winners are announced by May. Their winning works are then rehearsed and premiered at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in June/July.
Here in Bantry, competition winners have a unique opportunity to connect with appreciative international audiences and build relationships with composers and performers from across the global chamber music community.
Current and recent judges of the competition include Donnacha Dennehy, Lera Auerbach, Brett Dean and Deirdre Gribbin.
2026 Festival Call For String Quartet Scores
The Young Composers Competition for the West Cork Chamber Music Festival is now open for submissions.
- €1000 prize money
- 3 nights at the 2026 Festival (26 June to 5 July)
- A public workshop with the composer who adjudicates the competition
- 2 public performances
Submission deadline: 25 March 2026
We are delighted to announce that Donnacha Dennehy is returning to adjudicate the 2026 Competition.
Entrants must be under 35 years old on 1 January 2026. The work must be scored for string quartet and must not have been performed prior to the 2026 Festival.
Previous Winners
We send our congratulations again to our 2025 winners: Aoife Kavanagh, Rory Murphy, and Daniel Vives-Lynch. And many thanks to composer Deirdre Gribbin for judging the competition.
” I really felt that the festival was invested in realisation of my music.” – Kevin Terry, 2021 winner
Earlier winners of the competition include:
Seán Doherty (Assistant Professor of Music at Dublin City University)
Solfa Carlisle and Amanda Feery (both winners of the Seán Ó Riada competition)
Robert Coleman (NCH Jerome Hynes competition winner)
Finola Merivale (currently a fellow at Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris)
Our Winners Through the Years
We are proud to recognise the talented composers who have received competition awards in previous years.
The West Cork chamber music festival was not only an incredibly thorough and well thought out event, but also a wonderful experience for me personally as a composer. I was able to work with experienced and professional musicians in an environment that was inclusive and welcoming to all types of music. The recordings and friendships I made there will be remembered by me for a long time to come.
The workshop with Bushra El-Turk was an insightful lesson in musical aesthetics and philosophy and will certainly guide my thoughts and future endeavors during my next studies in Austria. The scenery and standard of musicianship were complimented by concert goers who were open minded and curious!
Our West Cork Music Festivals
Join us, across six glorious weeks each summer, as West Cork Music celebrates the best of chamber music, literature, and traditional Irish music through its world-class festivals at the edge of Europe.
Nurturing & showcasing emerging talent
The West Cork Chamber Music Festival is a setting where talented musicians and composers are invited to immerse themselves in the world of chamber music through masterclasses, performances, and connections with our supportive festival community.