Aidan Chan who won the €5,000 top prize at the Top Security Fr Frank Maher Classical Music Awards.

Kilcock teen hits top note for €5,000 prize

Young pianist Aidan Chan (17) from Kilcock, a sixth year student at Scoil Dara, has won the €5,000 top prize at the Top Security Fr Frank Maher Classical Music Awards for 2016.

Ireland’s largest classical music competition for secondary schools, seven teenage finalists  competed at the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin on Friday.
 
Aidan performed two pieces, ‘Isoldens Liebestod’ from Tristan und Isolde by composers Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt and ‘Etude in D-sharp minor, Op.8, No.12’ by composer Alexander Scriabin.  

A delighted Aidan said: “I hope to study for a BA in Music at either the Royal College of Music or the Royal Academy of Music in London or, the Lausanne Conservatoire in Switzerland. If I am successful, I will use the prize money to go towards my tuition fees.”
 
The awards were created in 2001 by Top Security chairman Emmet O’Rafferty to honour the memory of the late teacher Fr Maher, who taught music at his old school, Castleknock College.  The awards aim to showcase outstanding young musical talent in Ireland and are open to sixth year post-primary students of strings, woodwind, brass and piano.

The €5,000 top prize must be used to attend a recognised place of tuition, a course of study in Ireland or abroad or on a purchase necessary for the development of their talent.

Emmet O’Rafferty, chairman of Top Security, said: “Aidan Chan, our winner this year,  joins a line of incredible young talent for whom this award has been a stepping stone to even greater achievements.  Fr Frank Maher was a mentor of talent in many areas of school life and was particularly passionate about classical music. I know that he would have been very proud of all the performances at this wonderful venue and I wish Aidan the very best in his future career.”