John Ireland song competition in association with the John Ireland Trust

A song competition for University of St Andrews singer and pianist duos

A competition showcasing the songs of John Ireland in two stages: a video submission round and a live final.

Competition information

1st Round - deadline is Wednesday 11 February 2027 at 2pm (week 3 Semester 2)
Two songs by John Ireland sung from memory and presented by video submission.

Video submission process: Upload videos to Onedrive making sure they are shareable with the Head of Vocal Studies, Jonathan May - jhm22@st-andrews.ac.uk. Please also send him an email confirming you have uploaded the video.

Live Final - Thursday 19 February 2027, 2 - 5pm
Adjudicators: Jamie MacDougall (tenor) and Derek Clark (pianist, former Head of Music at Scottish Opera and Visiting Professor at RNCM).
Performers must present three songs by John Ireland in the live final.

Prize money totalling £1000 will be offered both to singers and pianists as follows:

1st Prize - £250
2nd Prize - £150
3rd Prize - £100

Competition Rules

1. Competitors must be University of St Andrews matriculated students and Laidlaw Music Centre members.
2. Songs presented an the video first round may be repeated in the live final.
3. Pianists may work with more than one singer.
4. Pianists may use electronic devices with scanned material.
5. Performers will be considered individually on the effectiveness of their performances.
6. Songs must be sung from memory in both rounds.
7. Singers who have competed in previous competitions may not repeat songs already presented.
8. No Late video entries will be considered.