To date date, the Royal Irish Academy of Music has accepted only seven students on to the first year of its BA in music performance. This year, the standard of the applicants was so high, the college accepted 13 students.

Ciara Higgins, public relations manager for the RIAM, says: "It's very unusual to take on so many students. It's not easy to get in. The minimum requirements are just that. Then we shortlist and applicants come to audition. This year we had about 200 applicants for the course and we did three days' auditioning for the course. Forty students were called to audition."

The minimum academic requirements are set by DCU, which validates the course, but there is no weighting for academic achievement. A mark of 85 per cent or higher in grade VIII from the RIA of Music Local Centre Examination System or from comparable institutions in other countries is required. Then, there's the CV, the written recommendations from two musicians, the written paper that includes a four-part harmony question, as well as an aural test, a prepared sightseeing test, an interview and the all-important audition.

The main reason for the small intake is that students get two hours' individual lessons and one hour's chamber music each week, explains Higgins. The course affords numerous performance opportunities, including the National Concert Hall, the Shaw Room at the National Gallery of Ireland, the Goethe Institute and Alliance Francaise. Higgins says: "In the final year, all students will perform a concerto with a live symphony orchestra. We think this is unique in the world."

Teachers enjoying international reputations include pianist and RIAM director John O'Conor, soprano Suzanne Murphy and Hugh Tinney. These teachers deal with students of all levels. Higgins quotes O'Conor as saying, "you can't exclusively deal with the top people. How are you to get young people to the top if you don't teach from the bottom?"

The RIAM was set up in 1848, when a group of enthusiasts came together to form an association to found an academy "to provide systematic instruction in instrumental music". It held its first classes in the Ancient Concert Rooms, Pearse Street, Dublin, before moving to 18 St Stephen's Green.

Today, it is located in 36 to 38 Westland Row, where 17 new teaching rooms have been added (on what used to be the car park opening on to Cumberland Street). The Dag Hall is in the process of being refurbished and is scheduled to be finished next month. However, it was still a hard hat area when EL visited in early October. The anticipated visit of President Mary McAleese on December 12th, for the Irish Permanent High Achiever Awards ceremony, should give an added impetus to the work.

The RIAM boasts an intermediate and symphony orchestra, a wind ensemble, a baroque ensemble, a junior string groups, two choirs at senior and junior level, as well as a long and successful history of operatic productions.

The BA in music performance is a full-time, four-year degree. The primary emphasis is on practical studies, including solo and ensemble work. There are also supporting courses in aural training, compositional techniques and history of music.

Graduates of the degree in performing arts usually continue their studies - at home or abroad. Most will spend an average of three or four years doing postgraduate studies, says Higgins. The majority will end up performing and, perhaps, augmenting their income with some teaching.

Kathrin Lenzenwegen graduated last year. An Austrian violinist, she came to the RIAM to study with Eyal Kless, an Israeli violinist. "I started with a diploma in teaching and performance and then went into third year of the BA," she says.

"Academically and performance-wise, it was great. The performance opportunities are just incredible. I was doing concerts in third and fourth year."

Now doing the MA in music performance, she teaches introductory violin courses in the RIAM. As to the future, she plans to return to Austria to study with her teacher's father, Yair. She will do a second master's degree in an academy there. "I want to teach and perform as much as I can. Even if you are a really big soloist, you can't manage on your income," she says pragmatically. Prospective performers, be warned.