RIAM students achieve outstanding results at Feis Ceoil 2026

Students and ensembles from across the Royal Irish Academy of Music have enjoyed an exceptional Feis Ceoil 2026, earning 180 prizes and commendations across 88 competitions.

From young musicians in the Junior Academy to students on RIAM’s full-time programmes, this year’s results span an extraordinary breadth of musical life at the Academy, including voice, piano, strings, chamber music, guitar, harp, organ, woodwind, brass and composition.

Headline results

RIAM students secured 52 First Prizes and 25 Second Prizes, alongside 38 Very Highly Commended, 37 Highly Commended and 28 Commended awards.

Behind those numbers are months and years of individual work, close collaboration between students and teachers, and the confidence to bring an individual artistic voice to the stage.

Outstanding individual achievements

Soprano Eva Kavanagh enjoyed an exceptional Feis, winning the Gervase Elwes Memorial Cup and the Dramatic Cup and €5,000 Margaret & Tony Quigley Award, as well as sharing First Prize in the Milne Cup with pianist Michael Lennon. Eva was also Highly Commended in the Lieder Prize.

Pianist Aidan Keane won two major senior piano competitions, taking First Prize in both the Morris Grant Bursary and Anthony Glavin Trophy & Awards, alongside a Very Highly Commended award in the Mabel Swainson Pianoforte Award.

Hedwig Hauskeller secured three First Prizes across the senior vocal competitions, winning the Count John McCormack Vocal Recital, Dermot Troy Trophy and Senior Musical Theatre & Rathmines & Rathgar Cup Award, as well as receiving a Very Highly Commended award in the Veronica Dunne Operatic Ensemble.

One of the most wide-ranging achievements of the festival came from Ruaidhrí O’Dea, who earned four First Prizes across piano and composition. He won the Fritz Brasé Cup for pianoforte sight-reading and Junior Pianoforte Solo (A), together with the IMRO Award for Chamber Ensemble Composition and Pieces for Children composition competition.

Pianist Grace Bai also enjoyed a particularly strong festival, taking First Prize in both the Patricia Read Memorial Cup and Junior Concerto.

RIAM at the Feis Ceoil Gala

RIAM was strongly represented at the 2026 Feis Ceoil Gala Concert at the National Concert Hall on 30 June. Aidan Keane, Grace Bai and Eva Kavanagh, together with the Louise Byrne and Christina Troup piano and horn duo, were selected from among this year’s outstanding competition winners to perform at the Gala.

Their selection reflected just some of the depth of RIAM achievement across the festival.

Across the Junior Academy, First Prizes included successes for Junhyung Kang in the St Cecilia Cup Final, Alexander Shi and Tessa James in Junior Violin, Anita Han, Ethan Bai, Oscar Cullen and Yi Lin in Junior Violoncello, Hongcheng Du in Junior Classical Guitar, Jane Sun in Junior Harp and Clodagh Wang in An Chruit.

There was similar breadth across piano, chamber music, wind and brass. Louise Byrne and Christina Troup won the Rhoda Coghill Cup, Dean Glynn took First Prize in the Contemporary Irish Music Cup, Linda Chen won Junior Clarinet (B), Christina Troup won the Walton Cup, and Ciara Breslin and The dB Scale took First Prizes in Junior Brass Instrumental and the Junior Brass Ensemble Cup respectively.

High performance, individual artistry

Competition results are only one measure of a musician’s development, but Feis Ceoil offers an important opportunity for students to prepare with purpose, perform under pressure, listen, learn and test their artistry beyond the familiar surroundings of the Academy.

The scale and breadth of this year’s results reflect both the individual voices of our students and the dedication of the teachers who work alongside them. That partnership, combining high standards with curiosity, care and space for authentic artistry to develop, is central to musical life at RIAM.

We congratulate every RIAM student who performed at Feis Ceoil 2026, whether or not their name appears among the prize-winners, and extend our thanks to the teachers, accompanists, families and fellow students whose work and support sit behind every performance.

Full RIAM Feis Ceoil 2026 results