St Columb’s Hall Concerto Award

The St Columb’s Hall Concerto Award is a very special part of our annual series at St Columb’s Hall. The Award is a celebration of the ancient cultural legacy of St Columba and his contemporaries who, for centuries have travelled from Ireland, across Europe, to inspire people with their art.

In 2025 the winner of the Concerto Award - Kwan Yee Lim - played Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No 1 with Le Foyer des Artistes at the Midsummer Concert. In 2024, it was Ao Deng, who became the first winner or the Award, captivating us with a brilliant performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 12 in his final performance. The winners go on to give recitals at venues across Europe, as part of our international collaborations with Juventudes Musicales de Granada in Spain and L'associazione Forli Cultura in Italy, or the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest, amongst others.

We are proud of our partnership with YAMAHA Music Europe, the largest instrument maker in the world, who transport their newest CFX Concert Grand Piano from London twice per year for this very special event.