Cork teen hits the right note in Classical Music Awards

CORK pianist Christopher Furlong, (17) was a finalist in the 2023 Top Security Frank Maher Classical Music Awards, Ireland’s largest such competition for secondary schools.

The sixth-year student at Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh in Bishopstown performed two pieces, ‘Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 847’ by composer Johann Sebastian Bach and ‘Cadenza Piano Concerto in A minor’ by Edvard Grieg.

The awards aim is to showcase outstanding young musical talent in Irish schools and are open to sixth-year post-primary strings, woodwind, brass and piano students.

Past winners have gone on to attend some of the world’s most prominent music colleges, including the Juilliard Performing Arts Conservatory in New York City, Conservatoire Nationale Superieur de Musique et de Danse Paris, Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Music and Arts University (MUK) in Vienna.

Christopher was presented with a €300 bursary for his rendition of the classic pieces. 

He was joined by other finalists Eve Donohoe (17), Loreto Secondary School, Wexford (violin); Ava Duffy (17), Colaiste Ide, Dingle, Kerry (piano); Lucia Murphy (18) Limerick Tutorial College, Limerick City (violin) and Anna Varga (18), Celbridge Community College, Celbridge, Kildare (cello).

The winner of the €5,000 top prize was pianist Joe O’Grady (17), a sixth-year student at Gonzaga College, Ranelagh, Dublin.

The Awards were created in 2001 by Top Security chairman Emmet O’Rafferty to honour the memory of his late teacher, Fr Frank Maher, who taught music at Castleknock College in Dublin. Mr O’Rafferty commended the Cork teenager on his achievement, saying:

“Congratulations to Christopher on reaching the finals of this very high-level competition. Father Frank Maher was an inspiring mentor in many areas of school life, but he was especially passionate about classical music.

“I know that he would have been delighted and proud of all the beautiful performances.”