Applications open for Northern Ireland International Organ Competition
Hattie Fisk
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
The closing date for entries is Friday 21 July, with the prizewinners’ recitals taking place in Armagh from 21–23 August.
Fran Marshall
Applications are now open for the Northern Ireland International Organ Competition (NIIOC) 2023.
Taking place in Armagh between the 21 and 23 August, the competition calls organ players under the age of 22 to compete for cash prizes and personal feedback from professional jurys.
There are three categories for entrants:
- The Senior Category is for post-grade 8 players aged 22 and under. 12 organists will be selected by MP3 recordings and will perform 20-minute recitals which must include a work by JS Bach. The winner will receive £2000. All competitors in this category will have their performance professionally recorded on the day and will be available to them at a later date.
- For players Grades 6-8, the Intermediate Category encourages those who have not gained an organ diploma yet to apply. There is free choice of repertoire for recitals, but they must contain two or three pieces and last no more than 12 minutes. The first prize here is £500.
- In the Junior Category, players between grades 4-5 will perform two or three pieces of their choice for eight minutes, for a first prize of £300.
As part of the competitions festivities, Isabelle Demers will lead a masterclass on 22 August in Armagh, and an Organist workshop on performance etiquette and presentation on 23 August. Both events are open to the public, as are the competition performances.
The upper age limit for this year’s entrants has been extended to 22 due to the disruption of the competitions scheduled caused by Covid-19.
