Castleknock Student Wins 2025 Frank Maher Classical Music Awards
Cellist Adam Joyce (18), a sixth year student at Castleknock Community College in Dublin, has won the €5,000 top prize at the 2025 Top Security Frank Maher Classical Music Awards, Ireland’s largest classical music competition for secondary schools
Adam was one of six finalists at the competition night on Friday 24th October 2025 in the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin. Lyric FM presenter Marty Whelan was master of ceremonies for an evening of outstanding teen talent, at which Adam performed two pieces – Waldesruhe (Silent Woods), Op.68, No.5 by composer Antonín Dvořak and Danse du Diable Vert (Dance of the Green Devil) by composer Gaspar Cassadó.
Commenting on his win, Adam said “I am absolutely delighted to have won, it’s still sinking in, and I plan to use my prize money to fund auditions for music colleges in Germany and the Netherlands over the coming year. The Dvorak composition is one of the most beautiful pieces of music for the cello. I heard it last year for the first time and it was wonderful to be able to perform it at these Awards.”
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.
Emmet said “On behalf of Top Security, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to this year’s winner, cellist Adam Joyce, and to all our exceptionally talented finalists for their outstanding performances on the night. Fr. Frank Maher’s love of classical music continues to inspire young musicians, and it is an honour for us to support these gifted students as they take the next steps in their musical journeys. This competition not only celebrates their dedication and artistry but also opens doors to opportunities that can help shape their futures in music. We wish them every success as they continue to share their remarkable talent with the world.”
Last year’s winner, pianist Ai Lin Sun from Dublin, gave a guest performance on the night. She is studying for her Bachelor in Music (piano) at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) alongside her Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
The Awards’ aim is to showcase exceptional young musical talent in Irish schools 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.
Other winners have used the prize to further their studies at prestigious institutions that include the Juilliard School, New York, MUK Vienna, Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, Hochschule für Musik und Theater (HfMT) Hamburg and the Royal College of Music in the UK.
The other five finalists each received a €300 bursary. They were Sam Monedero Egan (18), Violin, Castleknock Community College, Dublin; Clare Healy (18), Piano, St. Leo’s College, Carlow; Kian Lee (17), Violin, Wesley College, Dublin; Ben Greenham Taylor (17), Trumpet, Schull Community College, Cork and Yuhan Xue (16), Piano, Colaiste Einde, Galway
The judging panel was Dr Gerard Gillen, emeritus professor of music at NUI Maynooth, international classical pianist Veronica McSwiney and international violist Wolfgang Klos, professor of viola at the University of Music and the Performing Arts, Vienna.