Newpark Festival 2026
February 16–21, 2026 | Carnegie Library, Dún Laoghaire
Running for over 30 years, the Newpark Festival is a week-long celebration of music, featuring instrumental and vocal competitions open to participants of all ages and levels. Taking place from February 16 to 21, 2026 at the refurbished Carnegie Library in Dún Laoghaire, the festival provides an encouraging space for performers to share their music and develop their skills.
This year, the festival is expanding beyond its long-established competitions to include concerts and open workshops, which will welcome a new audience and keep music accessible for the wider community.
By bringing performers, audiences, and educators together, the Newpark Festival continues to strengthen the musical life of our community and inspire the next generation of artists.
Before registering below, please take a moment to read the Rules and Regulations of the Festival.
Festival Venue
Carnegie Library, Dún Laoghaire
20 George Street Lower, A96 E9A2
Highlights of Festival 2025
photo credit: Poppy & Poet
Festival Director
Mairéad English
Mairéad English is a Dublin-based flautist and educator whose career brings together performance, teaching, and community music-making. As an orchestral musician, she performs with many of Ireland’s leading ensembles, including National Symphony Orchestra Ireland, RTÉConcert Orchestra, and Wexford Festival Opera Orchestra. She is also a member of the Gardellino Flute Trio.
Mairéad is a long-time collaborator with Classical Kids, performing chamber concerts and education workshops specially designed for babies and young children. She has also appeared with the National Concert Hall’s Discover series, performing in programmes for young people and families.
At Newpark Academy of Music, Mairéad serves as Head of Wind and Brass and teaches flute. She also runs NAM’s monthly student concert series, designed to give students of all ages and levels the opportunity to nurture their creativity through performance in a supportive and encouraging environment. Her commitment to inclusive and community-based music is reflected in her work with the Musical Memories Choir, which welcomes people living with dementia and their carers.
As Newpark Festival’s Director in 2026 Mairéad will lead an exciting new chapter in the festival’s 30+ year history. Taking place in the beautifully restored Carnegie Library, this year’s Festival will celebrate Newpark Academy of Music’s legacy of music education by reaching out to the wider community through a diverse programme of concerts and inclusive workshops which will run alongside the daily competitions. This exciting week of events will see the festival engaging with new audiences through expanded partnerships between professional artists, students, and community groups, building on NAM’s mission to make music accessible to the community it serves.
Co-Festival Director & Artistic Director
Alyssa Filardo
Alyssa Filardo is an Italian-American pianist, artistic director, and educator based in Ireland. Renowned for her expressive musicality and depth of collaboration, she has performed throughout Europe and New York, with appearances at Carnegie Hall, Schloss Leopoldskron, and the Hidalgo Festival in Munich. In Ireland, she has appeared as a collaborative pianist at the National Concert Hall and Whyte Hall at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and as a soloist with orchestras in both Munich and New York.
Alyssa trained extensively in vocal collaboration in Salzburg and Munich, working with artists from the Vienna State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, and the Metropolitan Opera, and continues to perform widely as a recitalist and collaborator.
Her artistic practice spans opera, art song, and interdisciplinary performance, with previous engagements as répétiteur and assistant musical director in Germany. She currently serves as Co-Festival Director of the Newpark Festival and Artistic Director of Newpark Academy of Music in Dublin, where she leads artistic programming, festival curation, and community engagement. Through her leadership, Alyssa is committed to fostering collaboration, creativity, and accessibility in Ireland’s vibrant musical landscape.
