Junior Class

Standard: Post-Grade 8

Age Range: 18-21

Entry Fee: £30

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 12 noon on Monday 26th January.

 Final: This will be held in Armagh, Northern Ireland on Saturday 7th March, with rehearsals with the competition accompanist on Friday 6th March. Successful entrants will be notified after Friday 6th 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

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 12 noon on Monday 26th January.

 Final: This will be held in Armagh, Northern Ireland on Saturday 7th March, with rehearsals with the competition accompanist on Saturday 7th March. Successful entrants will be notified after Friday 6th 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

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.

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.