Newpark Festival 2026
February 16–21, 2026 | Carnegie Library, Dún Laoghaire
Running for over 30 years, the Newpark Festival is a week-long celebration of music, featuring instrumental and vocal competitions open to participants of all ages and levels. Taking place from February 16 to 21, 2026 at the refurbished Carnegie Library in Dún Laoghaire, the festival provides an encouraging space for performers to share their music and develop their skills.
This year, the festival is expanding beyond its long-established competitions to include concerts and open workshops, which will welcome a new audience and keep music accessible for the wider community.
By bringing performers, audiences, and educators together, the Newpark Festival continues to strengthen the musical life of our community and inspire the next generation of artists.
Please take a moment to read the Rules and Regulations of the Festival.
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Festival Week at a Glance
Monday February 16th
String Competitions
10:00...............14 years and under
11:25.................12 years and under
12:40...............10 years and under
14:45.................8 years and under
15:55.......18 years and under - The John Donald Cup
Free Workshop
18:00 - 19:00........Bowing Bootcamp with Mia Cooper
🔗 Free reservation on Eventbrite
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Tuesday February 17th
Wind & Brass Competitions
10:00...............12 years and under
11:05...............18 years and under - The James Ringsland Cup
Instrumental Competitions
12:45............Senior Instrumental Repertoire
14:10............The Concerto Cup - The Evelyn Levins Perpetual Cup
Free Workshop
18:30 - 19:15........Breathe, with Julie Feeney
🔗 Free reservation on Eventbrite
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Wednesday February 18th
Piano Competitions
10:00...............8 years and under
10:40...............10 years and under
13:20...............12 years and under
15:05..............Junior Piano Sonata Cup
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Thursday February 19th
Piano Competitions
10:00...............Junior Piano Repertoire - The Fuller Trophy
Free Workshop
12:15 - 13:15...............Stage Ready: Managing Performance
Under Pressure, with Vourneen Ryan
🔗 Free reservation on Eventbrite
Piano Competitions Continued
13:30............16 years and under
15:35...........Coakley Fuller Cup - Baroque Era
Newpark Concert Series
19:00 - 19:45......Scott Flanigan, jazz pianist
Tickets: €12.50 (under 18 & over 65)
€15 (general admission)
(subject to booking fee)
🔗 Tickets available on Eventbrite
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Friday February 20th
Piano Competitions
10:00...............Duets 12 years and under
10:30...............Duets 14 years and under
11:00................Duets 16 years and under -
The Phoebe Murphy Cup
11:30................Senior Piano Repertoire -
The Owen Walsh Perpetual Cup
Free Workshop
12:45 - 13:45...........Teddy Bear Sing-along with
Gwendoline Douglas
Piano Competitions Continued
14:00........Senior Piano Sonata Cup
15:10.......Adult Solo Competition - The Prichard Cup
Newpark Concert Series
19:00 - 19:45.......An evening of Chopin with
pianist Andrzej Kozłowski
Tickets: €12.50 (under 18 & over 65)
€15 (general admission)
(subject to booking fee)
🔗 Tickets available on Eventbrite
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Saturday February 21st
Vocal Competitions
10:00...............Adult Classical Competition - The Ruth Beare Perpetual Cup
11:00...............Adult Baroque Aria - The Mignon Rumbold Memorial Cup
12:15.............Adult Lieder Cup
12:55..........Vocal Solo 18 years and under
14:00........Junior Musical Theatre, 15-18 years
14:50..............Vocal Solo 16 years and under
16:00..........Vocal Solo 14 years and under
16:45.........Vocal Solo 12 years and under
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*Audience tickets for competitions will be available at the door
Ticket Price: €5.00 (includes competition programme)
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Festival Venue
Carnegie Library, Dún Laoghaire
20 George Street Lower, A96 E9A2
This Year's Adjudicators
Highlights of Festival 2025
photo credit: Poppy & Poet
Festival Director
Mairéad English
@newpark_music_festival
Mairéad English is a Dublin-based flautist and educator whose career brings together performance, teaching, and community music-making. As an orchestral musician, she performs with many of Ireland’s leading ensembles, including National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, RTÉConcert Orchestra, and Wexford Festival Opera Orchestra. She is also a member of the Gardellino Flute Trio.
Mairéad is a long-time collaborator with Classical Kids, performing chamber concerts and education workshops specially designed for babies and young children. She has also appeared with the National Concert Hall’s Discover series, performing in programmes for young people and families.
At Newpark Academy of Music, Mairéad serves as Head of Wind and Brass and teaches flute. She also runs NAM’s monthly student concert series, designed to give students of all ages and levels the opportunity to nurture their creativity through performance in a supportive and encouraging environment. Her commitment to inclusive and community-based music is reflected in her work with the Musical Memories Choir, which welcomes people living with dementia and their carers.
As Newpark Festival’s Director in 2026 Mairéad will lead an exciting new chapter in the festival’s 30+ year history. Taking place in the beautifully restored Carnegie Library, this year’s Festival will celebrate Newpark Academy of Music’s legacy of music education by reaching out to the wider community through a diverse programme of concerts and inclusive workshops which will run alongside the daily competitions. This exciting week of events will see the festival engaging with new audiences through expanded partnerships between professional artists, students, and community groups, building on NAM’s mission to make music accessible to the community it serves.
Co-Festival Director & Artistic Director
Alyssa Filardo
Alyssa Filardo is an Italian-American pianist, artistic director, and educator based in Ireland. Renowned for her expressive musicality and depth of collaboration, she has performed throughout Europe and New York, with appearances at Carnegie Hall, Schloss Leopoldskron, and the Hidalgo Festival in Munich. In Ireland, she has appeared as a collaborative pianist at the National Concert Hall and Whyte Hall at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and as a soloist with orchestras in both Munich and New York.
Alyssa trained extensively in vocal collaboration in Salzburg and Munich, working with artists from the Vienna State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, and the Metropolitan Opera, and continues to perform widely as a recitalist and collaborator.
Her artistic practice spans opera, art song, and interdisciplinary performance, with previous engagements as répétiteur and assistant musical director in Germany. She currently serves as Co-Festival Director of the Newpark Festival and Artistic Director of Newpark Academy of Music in Dublin, where she leads artistic programming, festival curation, and community engagement. Through her leadership, Alyssa is committed to fostering collaboration, creativity, and accessibility in Ireland’s vibrant musical landscape.