Fleischmann International Trophy Competition - Cork International Choral Festival

Applications are open for the 2026 Fleischmann International Trophy Competition!

Each year some of the finest amateur international choirs are selected to compete for the prestigious Fleischmann International Trophy.

While participation in the competition is central to the choir’s participation, the Cork experience is not solely limited to this. The Festival also schedules the selected choirs to perform non-competitively in a range of Festival activities throughout the week including its Choral Trail, Sacred Trail, guest performances at National Competitions, and at its Closing Gala Concert. A Meet and Greet session and Festival Club is organised to allow participants to get to know each other and to meet informally in a convivial social setting. Selected choirs also have an opportunity to present a Fringe or Friendship Concert.

To allow choirs to play a full part in the Festival it is expected that international choirs who apply to participate in the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition are in a position to arrange their arrival in Cork for, no later than, the Thursday of the Festival, and their departure for the Monday post-festival.

Early applications are welcome, and the Festival can provide an early confirmation to choirs where this is possible.

Participation in the competition implies acceptance of all the rules and regulations included on this page.

Closing date for receipt of completed applications is 31st October of the preceding year.
Open to any choir of international standing.
Minimum twenty/maximum sixty voices.
Successful applicants will be notified by email within two weeks of the closing date. Early applications are welcome, and the Festival can provide an early confirmation to choirs where this is possible.
Minimum age of 16 years of age on the day of competition.
It is expected that international choirs who apply for the competition do so on the understanding that they are in a position to attend the festival from arrival in Cork on Thursday (at the latest), to departure on Monday.

A programme of a cappella music consisting of either three or four contrasting works whose total duration (actual singing) is between ten and twelve minutes. The music must be purely vocal without the addition of percussion instruments. Choirs whose programmes do not comply with the prescribed limits will incur a time penalty. The contrasting programme must represent a historically-balanced and coherent range of styles and must include:

A polyphonic work composed before 1750
An original (i.e. not an arrangement) work by a living composer
A work by a composer of the choir’s native country

Subsequent to final acceptance, a choir may not change its repertoire, nor the order in which it will be sung. The five-member international jury allocates marks for the technical and artistic quality of the chosen programme and the overall quality of its performance. It will also take into account how well the choir communicates with the audience in a performance situation.

31st October of the preceding year

Choirs can submit their Fleischmann International Trophy Competition application by completing the form available at the bottom of the page by 31st October of the preceding year.

Each choir is required to include with their application:

A completed application form.
Recent digital recordings of the choir (min. 3 pieces).
The choir’s proposed competition programme (see “Repertoire Requirements” detailed above). If accepted, this repertoire and its order of performance may not subsequently be altered.
A digital certified copy/a scanned copy of an original version of each work in A4 PDF format.
A short history of the choir and conductor detailing activities and achievements (English text, approx. 250 words).
Two digital photographs of the choir (at least 1MB in size, print resolution or 300dpi) suitable for publicity purposes.
Proof of payment of entry fee of €400 (see “Entry Fees”).

Online applications will be disregarded if the specific support materials are not submitted by the competition closing date. Please do not hesitate to get in touch at [email protected] should you have any issues uploading your files.

Only applications enclosing all of the requirements detailed under “Application Procedure” will be considered. Choirs are selected on the basis of their application material. Particular attention is paid to the repertoire and quality of performance presented on the audition recording submitted with the application. No discussion will be entered into with choirs in regards to the selection process.

The entry fee for the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition is €400. This entry fee must be paid by bank transfer to the Cork International Choral Festival’s account by the application closing date. Choirs are responsible for all related bank charges. The entry fee minus any bank transaction charges incurred will be refunded to those choirs who are not selected for the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition.

Bank details
Recipient: Cork International Choral Festival
Bank: Allied Irish Banks plc, Patrick’s Street, Cork, Ireland
IBAN: IE44 AIBK 9341 5105 1956 04
BIC: AIBKIE2D
Account Number: 05195604
Sort Code: 93 41 51
NOTE: Please ensure that the name of the choir is noted on the bank transfer.

First Prize €2,500, Trophy & Certificate
Second Prize €1,850 & Certificate
Third Prize €1,250 & Certificate

Special Awards

Lady Dorothy Mayer Memorial Trophy Donated by Chris Mahon.
Special Award for the performance of a work in the International Competition.
Schuman/Europe Trophy In Memory of Moira Pyne.
Special Award for the performance of a work by a living European Composer in the International Competition.
Heinrich Schütz Perpetual Trophy In Memory of Dr. Hans Waldemar Rosen.
Special Award for the performance of a work by Heinrich Schütz in the International or National Competitions.
The McCurtain & McSwiney Memorial Trophy
Special Award to a conductor in the International Competition for the performance of an imaginative and artistic programme.
P.E.A.C.E. Trophy
Awarded to a choir that best embraces the spirit of the Festival, and fulfils the intentions of the trophy’s benefactors, the P.E.A.C.E. Movement, Cork.

Eligibility to compete

A choir must have been organised at least one calendar year prior to the Festival and must be able (if required by the Artistic Advisory Board) to provide evidence of this.
All members of a competing choir, except the conductor, must perform in the Festival as an amateur.
No person may compete as a member of more than one choir.
A choir who wins first prize in the International Trophy Competition may not compete the following year in that competition.
The Artistic Advisory Board reserves the right to invite any Irish choir to take part in the International Trophy Competition.

Travel costs

The Festival does not contribute to a choir’s travel costs to and from Cork.

Local transport

Bus transportation will be provided to choirs as follows:

The Festival will provide transportation, as it deems appropriate, to scheduled performance venues within the City & County limits at no cost to choirs.
The Festival will, if required, organise bus transport to choirs on their arrival, from Cork Airport to their accommodation, at a cost of €7 per person (min. number of 20 pax applies).
The Festival will, if required, organise bus transport to choirs on their departure, from their accommodation to Cork Airport, at a cost of €7 per person (min. number of 20 pax applies.)
The Festival is in a position to facilitate choirs in recommending the services of its transport partner if a choir has any other transport requests.

Accommodation & Meals

Participating choirs are responsible for all matters related to the organisation, booking, and payment of all accommodation and meals during their stay in Cork. A comprehensive list of specially negotiated accommodation options in varied price ranges (including Hotels, Guest Houses and Hostels) is available at this page. The Festival is not responsible for any booking issues that may arise.

Visa requirements

The process and cost of Visas are the sole responsibility of the choir. The Fesitval will support a choir in its application through a letter of support on request.

Subsidy

Choirs from outside Ireland & Northern Ireland
The Festival undertakes to pay a per diem subsidy (to a maximum of 4 full participatory days) in the amount of €20 per choir member (including conductor), up to a maximum of 36 people, towards the cost of accommodation and meals for choirs selected for the Fleischmann International Trophy Competition.

Broadcasting, recording & photographic rights

It is a condition of participation that a choir agrees that:

Any performance it gives during the Festival may be photographed, broadcast live and/or recorded for subsequent reproduction and/or broadcast on radio/television/internet without payment to the choir.
All broadcasting and photographic rights to any performance at the Festival shall belong to the Festival which will be free to dispose of them or utilise them in promotional materials as it sees fit. It is the duty of all choirs with members under 18 years of age to ensure that informed consent is sought from young people and their parents/ carers is this regard.
Any performance it gives during the Festival may, without payment, be recorded and the Festival shall be entitled to possession of any such recording and shall further be entitled to reproduce any such recording and to sell, let for hire, offer or exposure for sale or hire, distribute or otherwise dispose of any recording or reproduction of recording of any such performance in any manner as it sees fit.

General rules

Adjudicators’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding any aspect of their work.
Entry fee (minus any bank charges incurred) will be refunded if a choir is not selected.
A selected choir that withdraws from the competition is not entitled to a refund of the entry fee.
The Festival accepts no legal responsibility whatsoever in respect of anything pertaining to a choir’s participation in the Festival.
The Festival accepts no responsibility or liability for accommodation and meal costs incurred by the choir.
The Festival accepts no responsibility for any expense incurred by any choir or individual chorister participating in the Festival.
The Festival reserves the right to change its dates in the event that a concert, or other public event or any circumstance outside the control of the Festival renders it impracticable to hold the festival on the scheduled dates
It is contrary to law to perform music that has been reproduced illegally. Should a choir do so, the Festival accepts no responsibility for any action taken by the copyright owners.
Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of all the rules and regulations.

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