Auckland, New zealand
Revisit the 2023 competition
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We enthusiastically congratulate 2017 2nd prize and chamber music prize winner Luke Hsu for his recent appointment to Trio Michelangeli.
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Beautiful music in the most beautiful place on earth!
Audiences across Aotearoa, New Zealand welcomed the return of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition over the first 10 days of June 2023.
16 outstanding young violinists, selected by audition from an initial 160 applicants, travelled to Queenstown and Auckland and were wholeheartedly embraced by local audiences who journeyed with them through the highs and lows that come with a competition of this calibre.
The Michael Hill remains a favourite on the competition circuit, not just for its prestigious prize package, esteemed judging panel and career-launching opportunities, but also for the warmth and heart that greets every competitor from the moment they touch down in Aotearoa. For the rest of their careers, these artists will be connected to this place and can count on the support of the people they have met over the course of their stay. The term whānau means ‘extended family group’ in Te Reo (the Māori language) and all of the competitors and judges now join our treasured whānau.
So much more than a violin competition, the Michael Hill enables music-making opportunities to spill out across the community leaving a lasting impact on our local music scene. The introduction of the Fellowship programme in 2023 saw six exceptionally talented Kiwi violinists become part of the Michael Hill experience, observing every stage of the competition, learning from visiting jury members and workshopping and performing with many of the competitors. Firm friendships were formed that will help guide these young Kiwi musicians as they step onto the international stage in pursuit of their own performance careers.
In other community connections the opening Queenstown sessions saw engagements with local schools, retirement villages and even a performance at the popular LUMA light festival. The final leg of the competition in Auckland stepped things up several notches with the inaugural Auckland String Sessions. Music lovers young and old could connect with our judging panel of world-renowned soloists for workshops, masterclasses and to exchange ideas and learnings with our own industry leaders such as the New Zealand String Quartet. 60 violinists from pre-school to university age embraced the Auckland String Sessions programme, welcoming the chance to immerse themselves in music-making with our international guests.
Latest News - Keeping up with the play!
21 November 2024 After a lively recording session in Hamilton, I was off to Sydney! Having never been to Australia, I was excited to explore the city. We arrived at our hotel around 9:30 pm, right in the heart of Darling Square, where the streets were buzzing with life. I quickly dropped my luggage in…
We sat down with Sarah Watkins and Gracie Francis – our collaborative pianists for the 2024 National String Competition – to talk about what it’s like to work with a large number of young artists with a limited amount of rehearsal time…the challenges, the joys and the myriad of things that both competitor and accompanist…
12 November 2024 Last Tuesday we played a concert in Dunedin and the composer Gillian Whitehead was actually in the audience. I’m playing one of her pieces called Bright Silence and I got to meet her backstage. She was so warm and genuine and I’m really happy that I got to meet her. After Dunedin…
Tuesday 5 November Earlier this week we performed in Invercargill, Christchurch and Nelson. The Opera House in Invercargill was so dark that I couldn’t see the audience so I imagined that I was an opera singer on stage. The next morning, I had a 6am Zoom class in writing short fiction for my Bachelor of…
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📣 Announcing our 12 Whakatipu Music Festival Young Artists!
These outstanding talents were selected through a national audition process to contribute to the impressive artistic line up of the 2025 Festival taking place in Queenstown next Easter.
They are:
· Sarah Lee, violin
· Esther Oh, violin and conducting
· Tal Amoore, viola
· Yuxin Chen, viola
· Damon Herlihy-O’Brien, cello
· Marlon Sullivan, clarinet
· Otis Prescott-Mason, piano
· Yixuan (William) Sun, piano
· Felicity Tompkins, soprano
· Austin Haynes, countertenor
· Reuben Brown, conductor
· Euan Safety, conductor
During the Festival they will rehearse and perform chamber music together, participate in career development workshops to hone their professional skills as they receive coaching from our worldclass Festival Artists.
Tickets on sale from early February.
For more information visit:
https://michaelhillviolincompetition.co.nz/whakatipu-music-festival/
Dec 2
Introducing Enshean (Sheena) Lin – National String Competition semi-finalist.
Enshean is a violinist from Palmerston North who will compete in the semi-finals which take place at Auckland University School of Music on the 14th and 15th of December. She will be vying for a place in the Grand Final at Westlake Girls High School on December 16.
Secure your tickets via the link on our bio.
Enshean (Sheena) Lin started learning the violin at the age of six, and now is a fourth-year student at the University of Auckland, studying with Stephen Larsen. She has performed with ensembles including the National Youth Orchestra and the Auckland Philharmonia.
Her recent musical highlights include performing at the At World’s Edge music festival in Central Otago as an Emerging Artist in 2022, and touring ‘Another Night in Vienna’ with Chamber Music New Zealand in 2021.
Enshean performs here with Sarah Watkins.
Nov 30
Introducing Sarah Lee - National String Competition semi-finalist.
Sarah is a violinist from Auckland who will compete in the semi-finals which take place at Auckland University School of Music on the 14th and 15th of December. She will be vying for a place in the Grand Final at Westlake Girls High School on December 16.
Secure your tickets via the link in our bio.
Sarah is currently in the second year of her Bachelor of Music degree at The University of Auckland, studying with Stephen Larsen. Her passion for music has led to various achievements, including a Gold award at the NZCT Chamber Music Competition in 2021, second place at the Performing Arts Competitions Association (PACANZ) National Competition in 2022 and receiving the Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation Scholarship the same year.
She also performed as a first violinist in the NZSO National Youth Orchestra in 2022 and has been selected as an Emerging Artist for the 2024 At the World’s Edge music festival in Central Otago. Sarah plays on violin on loan to her through the Hill Family Foundation’s Instrument Bank. #Violin #hffam
Nov 29
Introducing Ingrid Kosaka – National String Competition semi-finalist.
Ingrid is a cellist from Christchurch who will compete in the semi-finals which take place at Auckland University School of Music on the 14th and 15th of December. She will be vying for a place in the Grand Final at Westlake Girls High School on December 16.
Secure your tickets at via the link in our bio.
Ingrid is a versatile chamber musician and soloist, currently in her final year of study at Christchurch Girls’ High School.
At the age of 15, Ingrid was selected as a soloist for the NZSO Young Soloists Showcase, leading to a performance as a soloist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Judd. In 2021, she was invited as a guest soloist for a concert tour with the Baroque Music Community and Educational Trust of New Zealand,
performing Vivaldi’s ‘Concerto for Two Cellos’ with Tomas Hurnik. In the previous year, she was a semi-finalist in the Performing Arts Competitions Association (PACANZ) National Young Performers’ Award Competition.
#cello #hffam
Nov 26
We appreciate Trinity College London’s support for the National String Competition and our shared commitment to excellence, creativity, and enabling the next generation of musicians to reach their full potential.
Trinity College is a global leader in music education whose contribution to the cultural fabric of Aotearoa cannot be understated.
Join us to experience the extraordinary talents of our emerging artists at the Grand Final of the National Sting Competition on December 16. To secure you tickets visit the link in our bio.
Nov 26
Introducing Boudewijn Keenan – National String Competition semi-finalist.
Boudewijn is a cellist from Auckland who will compete in the semi-finals which take place at Auckland University School of Music on the 14th and 15th of December. He will be vying for a place in the Grand Final at Westlake Girls High School on December 16.
Secure your tickets via the link in our bio.
Boudewijn is an Honours level student studying cello under the tutelage of James Tennant at the University of Auckland. He completed his undergraduate degree in music at the University of Otago with Dr Heleen du Plessis, majoring in cello performance.
Boudewijn is involved in numerous musical projects which encompass orchestral, chamber and solo playing. Highlights over the years include playing in the National Youth Orchestra for four years, including as principal cellist, forming the Passione Quartet this year, and winning the Dunedin Concerto Competition in 2023, performing Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with full orchestra in the Dunedin Town Hall.
He performs in this video with pianist Sarah Watkins.
Nov 25
Introducing Damon Herlihy-O’Brien – National String Competition semi-finalist.
Damon is a cellist from Auckland who will compete in the semi-finals which take place at Auckland University School of Music on the 14th and 15th of December. He will be vying for a place in the Grand Final at Westlake Girls High School on December 16.
Secure your tickets via the link in our bio.
Damon began playing the cello shortly before his fourth birthday and is currently studying a conjoint BMus/BSc (psychology) degree at The University of Auckland under James Tennant for his cello studies.
In 2021, Damon achieved both the NZQA Top Scholar award for the highest NCEA Scholarship Music score in the country and offer of a prestigious Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship from Waikato University. In 2023, he performed as one of the Emerging Artists in Central Otago’s At the World’s Edge music festival.
Damon is the Principal Cello of the Auckland Youth Orchestra (winning the AYO Concerto Competition in 2021), and Principal Cello of the University of Auckland Symphony Orchestra. He plays a fine Carboni cello on generous loan to him through the Hill Family Foundation’s Instrument Bank.
#hffam #cello
Nov 23
We are incredibly grateful to the Institute of Registered Music Teachers of New Zealand (IRMTNZ) for their generous support of the National String Competition. Our shared commitment to nurturing and elevating the next generation of musicians helps to ensure a bright future for classical music in Aotearoa.
Join us to experience the extraordinary talents of our emerging musicians between 14-16 December in Auckland Include link to the full schedule.
Prebook your tickets for the Grand Final vial the link in our bio.
Nov 22
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