The Music Network National Instrument Collection

This initiative is designed to address the unique challenges faced by emerging professional classical musicians. A primary barrier for high calibre classical musicians in fulfilling their artistic and career potential is the lack of access to a suitable standard instrument.

Through the Music Capital Scheme the award will loan string instruments for a period of 3 years to exceptional players. Successful recipients may also be offered up to €5,000 towards the purchase of a new bow, which if availed of they will retain and own permanently.

The award is currently open to advanced violinists, violists and cellists who are in the early stages of a professional performance career, and who are Irish citizens or resident in the Republic of Ireland.

There are currently five instruments from the collection available through this award:

• Violin: Gand & Bernardel Frères (1880)
  
• Violin: Stephan von Baehr (2007)
  
• Violin: Alexandre Valois (2024)
  
• Viola: Charles John Wilkinson (1930)
  
• The O’Neill Cello & Bow: Conor Russell cello (2015), Robert Pierce bow (2016)

We will continue to work to build and expand this national collection to allow our musicians to truly shine and provide access to this valuable collection for future generations to come.