 Collins studied with John O'Conor at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and with Dominique Merlet at the Conservatoire de Musique in Geneva, Switzerland.He was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from Dublin City University in 1999 and a "premier prix avec distinction" from the Conservatoire in Geneva in 2002.He won the RTÉ Musician of the Future Competition in Dublin in 1994, as well as semi-final prizes at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1996, the Guardian Dublin International Piano Competition in 1997, and the Classical Category at the National Entertainment Awards in Ireland in 1998.