Music Network, the national music development agency, invites young traditional Irish music groups to apply for the Young Musicwide award 2008.
Young Musicwide is a unique professional development scheme designed to assist some of Ireland’s brightest young musicians at the beginning of their professional career. The award this year is open to traditional Irish groups of any instrumentation of between two and five people. The closing date for completed applications is 5 p.m. on Friday 13th June 2008. Through an audition process in September, an Irish or Ireland-based traditional Irish ensemble, with a proven interest in performance, will be selected to participate in the Young Musicwide Award programme for three years.

Modelled on international examples, the Young Musicwide Award programme is designed to provide up to three musicians or groups annually with an incentive to pursue a professional career in music performance, and to provide promoters nationwide with access to the very best of emerging Irish talent.
The previous traditional Irish group to receive the award in 2005 was Slide, who released their third CD, ‘Overneath’ under the scheme. As recipients of the award they have toured Ireland extensively during the past three years, performing in many of Music Network’s partner promoter venues (of which there are approximately 120 in total).
Other recipients of the award include the Callino Quartet (2001); voice and piano duo, Ailish Tynan and Deborah Kelleher (2002); clarinettist, Carol McGonnell (2003); Organics jazz trio (2004); piano, cello and violin trio, The Syrius Trio (2006); harp, flute and viola trio, Triocca (2006) and Trihornophone jazz quartet (2007).

For further information and application details contact Andreas Ziemons, at (01) 671 9429 or email: concertadmin@musicnetwork.ie Application forms are available for download from the website: www.musicnetwork.ie