The Cork man leading a festival of musical youth

A festival showcasing young orchestral musicians in Ireland was one of the first items on the agenda of the newly formed Irish Association of Youth Orchestras (IAYO) in 1994.

The first festival took place in the National Concert Hall in 1996. Every year since, hundreds of young musicians in youth orchestra and ensembles from across Ireland have converged on Earlsfort Terrace for a day long extravaganza of performances. To date over 8,000 musicians have taken part.