Junior Class

Standard: Post-Grade 8

Age Range: 18-21

Entry Fee: £30 / €35 

Preliminary Round: Singers should record a varied programme, not exceeding ten minutes, consisting of one French song and one German song. This video recording should be submitted via the application form below along with copies of the scores by 12noon on Monday 3rd February.

 Final: This will be held in Armagh, Northern Ireland on Saturday 8th March, with rehearsals with the competition accompanist on Friday 7th March. Successful entrants will be notified after Friday 7th February. Finalists should perform the same programme, with the addition of one Charles Wood song.

Accommodation and travel subsidies are available for all finalists.

Click here for full rules and conditions

If you have any queries, please contact charleswoodfestival@gmail.com

1st Prize: £500 & Trophy
Runner Up: £200
Charles Wood Song Prize: £100

 Senior Class

Standard: Post-Grade 8

Age Range: 22-28

Entry Fee: £50 / €60 

Preliminary Round: Singers should record a varied programme, not exceeding fifteen minutes, consisting of one French song and two German songs by different composers. This video recording should be submitted via the application form below along with copies of the scores by 12noon on Monday 3rd February.

 Final: This will be held in Armagh, Northern Ireland on Saturday 8th March, with rehearsals with the competition accompanist on Friday 7th March. Successful entrants will be notified after Friday 7th February.  Finalists should perform the same programme, with the addition of one Charles Wood song.

Accommodation and travel subsidies are available for all finalists.

Click here for full rules and conditions

If you have any queries, please contact charleswoodfestival@gmail.com

1st Prize: £1,000 & Trophy
Runner Up: £300
Charles Wood Song Prize: £100
Highest Ranking NI/ROI Competitor: £200 & Performance Opportunity

Danielle de Niese

Opera Soprano Danielle de Niese is more than just the most magnetic presence in modern classical music, or the woman described by the New York Times magazine as “opera’s coolest soprano.” She’s also the performer who’s shredding the classical rulebook with her unique combination of artistic credibility and exotic 21st-century allure.

Read more at www.danielledeniese.com/about

Paul Farrington, Chair
Trained as a classical tenor, Paul enjoyed an active performing career, but began teaching whilst still studying and decided to make his love of exploring and teaching voice his full-time career. A founding member of the Professional Voice Users Clinic at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital over a quarter of a century ago, he worked there as an NHS Clinical Vocal Consultant for seventeen years. He now works closely with a number of Harley Street Consultants in rehabilitating both spoken and sung voice clients and is acknowledged as a leader in this field.

Paul has held positions in a number of major Conservatoires and Drama Schools in the UK and also worked as vocal coach on various West End productions, including Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Grease, Spamalot, Evita and Miss Saigon. He is now Vocal Technique and Vocal Health Consultant to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden; The New National Theatre Tokyo; Göteborgsoperan Sweden; and is full Professor of Opera and Vocal Pedagogy at the Kunsthøgskolen (Opera Academy) in Oslo, as well as visiting Professor to the Kunsthøgskolen Stockholm.

He was Music Coach and Musical Director on the movie Quartet, and more recently on the Oscar nominated The Theory of Everything. Much in demand for lecturing, coaching and teaching worldwide, Paul now divides his time between his teaching studio in London and recent and forthcoming engagements in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, the USA, Singapore, Barcelona, Madrid and Zurich.

Carolyn Dobbin
A Northern Irish mezzo-soprano and Samling Scholar, Carolyn began her career as a teacher of Art and Design before commencing the Opera course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Carolyn was Associate Artist at Welsh National Opera in 2010 and spent two years at Lucerne Opera House Switzerland from 2012-14.

She has performed extensively in opera, oratorio and in solo recitals, including appearances at the Royal Opera House Linbury Studio, English National Opera, Grange Park Opera, Opera Holland Park, Stadttheater Bern (Switzerland), and the Royal Albert Hall. 

She has performed the roles of Carmen, Annio, Penelope, Bradamante, Polina, Meg Page, Dritte Dame, Lucretia, Amastre, Octavia, Nicklausse, Magdalena, Dorabella, Charlotte, Teodata, Concepcion, Scipio, Idamante and Angelina in La Cenerentola. 

She recorded the role of Madeleine in Edward Loder’s rare opera Raymond and Agnes with Richard Bonynge, and the Queen in Ethel Smyth’s Fête Galante with Odaline de la Martinez. She released a solo CD with Delphian Records and Iain Burnside of songs by composers from Northern Ireland at the Ludlow Song Festival, and again in Belfast for BBC Radio 3 and BBC Northern Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Night Concert. Recent and future roles include the role of Madam Popova in The Bear, Mary in Der fliegende Höllander for Longborough Festival, Smeton in Anna Bolena, Fenena in Nabucco, Alise in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Carolyn will perform in Wagner's Ring from 2020-23. Carolyn established the Northern Irish Song Project which has seen her collect and record forgotten songs by Northern Irish composers, and also record newly written song cycles by current Northern Irish composers. 

Dame Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle

Dame Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle DBE is Lord Lieutenant of Belfast and Vice Chair of Northern Ireland Opera. 

Founder of the Glenarm Festival of Voice in 2010, she has a particular interest in young and emerging artists. In a past life, she was a multi award winning soprano who studied voice with Noelle Barker OBE, Frank Caper MBE and Marc Rochester. She is now a regular jury member and chair, author and commentator on voice and cultural matters.