The last two weeks have brought unprecedented success to The Tullamore Academy Chamber Choir. As winners of the National Choir of the Year last year, the 21 choral scholars from The Academy of Music - Tullamore were this year pressured to present an even more prolific and challenging repertoire of choral music to maintain and achieve an even more advanced standard of choral excellence.

This year with the eyes of all choirs in the National Choral scene pinned on The Academy Chamber Choir, they have taken the choral world by storm with an even more innovative and eclectic collection of choral music, specially chosen for their competitive show-stopping nature; including the very complicated and intricate piece “Rytmus” by Slovakian composer Ivan Hrusovsky. This has yielded them even further success with Major wins in Cork International Choral Festival and Navan Choral Festival.

This year saw the inauguration of a new competition on the Irish Choral scene called “Irelands Choir of the Year”. It was chosen to hold this year’s competition at Cork International Choral Festival (one of Europe’s leading choral festivals). The competition was held in Corks City Hall – an exciting “Lights, Camera, Action” event with most leading Irish choirs competing, of which one chosen being “The Academy Chamber Choir”. Adjudication came from a panel of 5 of the top international adjudicators hailing from the United States, Hungary, Finland, England and Ireland. The Academy Chamber Choir won Third place, which now gives them the official ranking of being the Third best choir in the Country.

With this achievement the choir pushed onward to Navan Choral Festival where last weekend they swept the boards yet again winning 1st prize at the Early Music competition, 1st Prize at the Irish Language competition (performing a new work “Siosuram So” by leading Irish composer Michael McGlynn) and 2nd prize in the Sacred Music competition.

With all this success The Academy Chamber Choir are hungry to push forward again where they are going to compete in Mayo International Choral Festival on the 25th May next, where they will yet again come head to head with Irelands leading choirs and many choirs from abroad.

The Choir have already been approached by several international choral communities requesting for them to compete abroad; which the choir are currently digesting as a possibility for 2014 on the back of their success. Prior to Cork International choral festival, the choir this year had first place wins at Kiltimagh Choral Festival and of course a prestigious 2nd place in the RTE Lyric FM “Choirs for Christmas” competition out of 400 choirs nationally.