Finding a Voice

What Finding a Voice does

Finding a Voice is an Irish non-profit classical music festival founded in 2017 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by sisters Róisín and Clíona Maher. The festival is dedicated to celebrating the work of women composers, both historical and contemporary, and has programmed works by hundreds of women composers across its editions. Its core offerings consist of an annual festival timed around International Women's Day (March 8), the annual Emerging Composer Competition (now in its 8th year), and educational outreach tied to its programming.

The organization operates with a small core team of approximately 6 employees and a lean cost base typical of regional arts non-profits. Its revenue model is a mix of tiered patron memberships (€50-€250), festival passes and individual ticket sales, public funding from Arts Council Ireland and Tipperary County Council, and corporate sponsorship from entities including Boston Scientific and RTE Supporting the Arts. The organization maintains long-standing institutional partnerships with Contemporary Music Centre Ireland (an 8-year relationship), RTE Lyric fm, and the National String Quartet Foundation, which provide curatorial, broadcast, and performer pipeline support. The 9th festival edition is scheduled for 2026.

Name

Finding a Voice

Legal name

Finding a Voice

Website

https://findingavoice.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Finding a Voice is an Irish non-profit classical music festival founded in 2017 in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, that annually celebrates women composers through live programming, an Emerging Composer Competition, and educational outreach, serving regional audiences and the wider contemporary classical music community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Classical Music Festival

NAICS

Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Classical music festival
• Women composers
• Arts nonprofit
• Live music events
• Patron membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Clonmel

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Patron Memberships: Annual patron programme with three tiers (Applause €50, Acclaim €100, Ovation €250) providing priority booking, free tickets, and exclusive gifts in exchange for supporting the commissioning and performance of music by women composers.
2. Festival Passes and Tickets: Direct ticket sales for festival events and festival passes offering access to all festival events.
3. Government and Corporate Sponsorship: Principal funding from The Arts Council of Ireland, Tipperary County Council, RTE Supporting the Arts, and corporate sponsorship from Boston Scientific provides operational support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Finding a Voice is a privately operated Irish nonprofit arts festival that annually produces a multi-day classical music festival in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, celebrating music composed by women from the 12th century to the present. The festival's commercial offerings include individual concert tickets and Festival Passes for the annual event, a tiered Patrons Programme (Applause €50, Acclaim €100, Ovation €250) providing priority booking, complimentary tickets, opening night receptions, and meet-the-artist access, plus the FAV/CMC Emerging Composer Competition run in partnership with the Contemporary Music Centre.

Product overview

Finding a Voice is a classical music festival (not a technology product) offering a portfolio of cultural programmes centered on its annual five-day festival celebrating women composers. The core offerings include the main festival event, the FAV/CMC Emerging Composer Competition for emerging women composers, a Patrons Programme with tiered membership levels, and Festival Pass tickets. The festival was founded in 2017 by sisters Róisín and Clíona Maher and features music by women composers spanning from the 12th century to contemporary works.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Finding a Voice Classical Music Festival Annual multi-day classical music festival held in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary each March around International Women's Day (8 March), featuring leading Irish and international musicians performing works by women composers from the 12th century (Hildegard of Bingen) to newly commissioned contemporary pieces. Open to individual concert-goers, festival pass holders, and patrons.
• FAV/CMC Emerging Composer Competition Annual composition competition for emerging women and gender-minority composers in Ireland, run in partnership with the Contemporary Music Centre. Includes workshops with professional musicians, mentorship from established composers, and a world-premiere performance opportunity for the winning work at the Finding a Voice festival.
• Patrons Programme Tiered annual patron membership programme supporting the festival: Applause (€50) with priority booking and one free event ticket pair; Acclaim (€100) with opening night reception invitation and two free ticket pairs; Ovation (€250) with meet-the-artist access and three free ticket pairs. All tiers include priority booking and acknowledgement on the website.
• Festival Pass All-access pass providing entry to all festival events for one annual edition, offered via Eventbrite as an early-bird ticket option for festival attendees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Festival has grown from first edition in 2017 to ninth edition in 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Contemporary Music Centre, IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic partner for the annual Emerging Composer Competition, providing workshop facilities, mentorship coordination, and professional development programming. Partnership has operated for eight consecutive years (2018-2025).
• RTE Lyric fmsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroadcast partner providing media coverage and promotional support for festival events and artists.
• National String Quartet FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting chamber music programming at the festival.
• South Tipperary Arts CentresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal arts partner in Clonmel providing venue access and local arts community connections.
• Tipperary Museum of Hidden HistorysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner providing connections to local heritage and history programming.
• MTU CREATE Le CheilesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Munster Technological University's arts programme supporting education and artist development.
• IMROsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIrish Music Rights Organisation supporting music licensing and rights management for festival events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Cork International Choral Festival: Annual choral festival in Cork, Ireland, with international participation. Comparable in Irish regional-festival positioning, Arts Council funding base, and competitive-programming model featuring emerging composers.
• Wexford Festival Opera: Annual opera festival in Wexford, Ireland, focused on rare and unjustly neglected repertoire. Most comparable in its thematic premise of reviving overlooked repertoire and operating as a regional Irish cultural festival with international artist draws.
• East Cork Early Music Festival: Regional Irish early/historical music festival in East Cork. Comparable in scope, regional Irish setting, and focus on historically-embedded classical repertoire, providing a relevant operational benchmark for niche music programming.
• Lismore Music Festival: Classical music festival in Lismore, Co. Waterford (neighboring Munster county). Comparable by virtue of being a regional Irish classical music festival with a similar annual event-driven model and modest operational scale.
• Aldeburgh Festival: Long-established classical music festival in Aldeburgh, UK, founded by Benjamin Britten. Comparable as a destination classical music festival with a curatorial focus and international artist programming, providing a benchmark for niche classical festival longevity.
• Kilkenny Arts Festival: Multi-disciplinary arts festival in Kilkenny, Ireland. Comparable as a regional Irish arts festival with sustained institutional backing, public funding, and a multi-day festival format with international artistic programming.
• West Cork Chamber Music Festival: Annual chamber music festival in Bantry, West Cork, Ireland. Closely comparable in scale, format, and regional-Ireland positioning, and an important comparable for chamber music programming and audience development strategies.
• Clonmel Junction Arts Festival: Multi-arts festival in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, led by co-founder Clíona Maher as Artistic Director. Operates in the same town, sharing an audience base and venue infrastructure, and represents the closest comparable peer geographically and operationally.

Broad incumbents

• Galway International Arts Festival: Major multi-disciplinary arts festival in Galway, Ireland. Comparable in festival format and Irish cultural-tourism positioning, but operates at a significantly larger scale and broader scope, providing an upper-bound benchmark for growth ambition.

Others

• Donne: Women in Music: UK-based organization championing women in music through performance, commissioning, and professional development. Not a festival peer, but mission-aligned through a focus on women composers and performers, providing a thematic adjacent for collaborative potential.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/findingavoice19
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjrZ9zq1tGCSNZpxZQdNm1w
• Facebookfacebook.com/findingavoiceclonmel
• Instagraminstagram.com/findingavoiceclonmel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/finding-a-voice-concert-series

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Finding a Voice