Congratulations to 2013 MHIVC Sixth Prize winner & Michael Hill Audience Prize winner, Natalie Lin Douglas whose debut album with the Houston-based Kinetic Ensemble is up for consideration for a Grammy Award nomination.

Natalie is the founder and Artistic Director of the 16-piece ensemble and their self-titled debut album is being considered for three award categories.

The recording debuted #1 on the Billboard Traditional Classical charts when it was released last year and is described as “an entertaining, rewarding and interesting program of new music, played with enthusiasm and finesse by this terrific ensemble” by David Rowe for Classical CD Reviews.

The Awards will be announced on February 2, 2025.

Find out more via @kineticensemble

📣 Calling all Central Otago early career event and arts professionals!

The Whakatipu Music Festival has created paid apprenticeship opportunities for you to ‘own’ and deliver many aspects of our event while being be mentored and supervised by experienced music and event industry professionals. All apprenticeships are paid at a rate of $30/hour.

The 2025 festival takes place in Queenstown next Easter and has numerous apprenticeship contract roles on offer in areas including artist management, marketing, stage and technical management, ticketing and hospitality.

If you’re a resident of Central Otago, meet the legal requirements to work in New Zealand, are at least 18 years of age with an authentic appreciation for NZ arts, we’d love to hear from you.

Full role descriptions and expression of interest forms are available at the Training Ground web page:

https://michaelhillviolincompetition.co.nz/training-ground/

Image: Wren Glover, credit James Robertson

Introducing Bernadette Harvey: Whakatipu Music Festival Feature Artist.

We’re thrilled to welcome acclaimed pianist Bernadette Harvey to next year’s festival as both a performer and mentor to our Young Artists and Whakatipu community musicians.

Bernadette is one of Australia’s treasured musicians – she was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2000 by then Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, for her contribution to Australian Music. Bernadette has won many accolades since her first medal in a Sydney Eisteddfod at the age of two and a half, including the ABC ‘Young Performer of the Year’ in 1987. She is a Senior Lecturer in piano at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and co-Artistic Director of the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival.

Her playing has been described as: “Gifted with a rare physical control of the instrument and intellectual and interpretative qualities to match…dispatched with a Horowitz-like virtuosity…blisteringly virtuosic…It drew me to the edge of my seat.” (Neville Cohn, West Australian).

Festival Audiences will be able to hear Bernadette with other Festival Artists (insert link) over the Easter weekend 18-21 April in Queenstown.

Applications are open now for the Young Artist Programme (including mentorship from Bernadette and her fellow Festival Artists!)

Apply via link in bio

Photo credit: Keith Saunders

Our friends at the New Zealand String Quartet are calling for applications for their Fellowship Ensemble.

This is a new career development opportunity for emerging and early-career violin, viola and cello players, taking place across 2025.

The NZSQ are looking for four young string players to form a string quartet and take part in a new fellowship programme, facilitated and mentored by the New Zealand String Quartet, Chamber Music New Zealand and the Adam Chamber Music Festival.

Over the course of the fellowship programme, they will develop and hone their performance, creative, collaborative and business skills and set themselves up for a successful, sustainable and well-rounded career in the arts.

If that sounds like you, then head to the link below for more information and to submit an application.

https://www.nzsq.org.nz/fellowship-ensemble

Applications close at 5pm on Sunday 22 September.

Apply NOW for the Whakatipu Music Festival Young Artist Programme.

Are you a classical musician looking for an intensive career-building boot camp in a beautiful location? 
 
12 coveted Young Artist spots are open to orchestral instrumentalists, pianists, singers and aspiring conductors - ages 18 – 26 (or 18-30 for vocalists and conductors). 
 
The Young Artist programmes is held in Queenstown 14-21 April 2025.  No fee to attend, accommodation and travel scholarships are provided. 
 
Young Artists experience a week’s intensive coaching and in-depth career development culminating in public performances that will be broadcast on RNZ Concert and the Michael Hill International Violin Competition’s digital channels. 
 
Applications close on October 15. 

Details at link in in bio.
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Image by James Robertson, featuring previous participants Peter Gjelsten, Begonia Chan, Otis Prescott-Mason, Kihei Lee, Zephyr Wills

Plenty of opportunities for future musicians across Aotearoa

Read all about it in our latest newsletter - check the link in our bio.