The 2026 competitors have been announced today. We offer them all our sincerest congratulations. The 16 quarter-finalists, who will be flown to New Zealand in May, are below, along with the city they reside in or originate from.  Beatrice Colombis (Sydney/Berlin), Anais Feller (Vancouver/Washington), Emmalena Huning (Perth), Yeonoo Jeong (Seoul), Hyein Koo (Seoul), Hairui Lei (Philadelphia), Tianyou Ma (New York), Leanne McGowan (Brisbane), Jakow Pavlenko (Berlin), Alexey Stychkin (Berlin), Maxim Tzekov (Berlin), Dindin Jingyi Wang (Melbourne), Ruiyi Wang…

On 29 July 2025, New Zealand lost one of her favourite sons and the international violin community lost one of its greatest champions. Competition founder Sir Michael died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family including his wife of 60 years, Christine, Lady Hill. Not only did Sir Michael lend his name to one of the world’s most respected major violin contests and an iconic event on the New Zealand landscape, he inspired generations of international violinists that all…

Dear Sir Michael and Anne,  I wanted to give you an update on my European study and let you know where the Bergonzi violin is. I have been studying in Austria for 3 months now and it has been amazing. Attached is a photo of my violin class with our teacher Professor Vesna Stankovic, Concertmaster of the Volksoper Wien. I caught up with Ben Morrison recently for a lesson, it was great to see another kiwi over here! He…

"I am thrilled to announce that my debut album is released. I truly hope that listening to this album will be a source of warmth, comfort, and joy, particularly in these trying times. All of these pieces are very near and dear to me, and I'm very grateful to have the chance to share them with you. COVID-19 has changed our world and brought upon us trials that we have never experienced before. But, in the midst of…

Media release Monday 10 August, 2020     2021 MICHAEL HILL INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION CANCELLED New Zealand’s most prestigious international music competition taking a break in 2021. New Queenstown Music Festival to take its spot. The Board of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition (MHIVC) has made the unsurprising yet still difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Competition, which was to have marked the prestigious event’s 20th year. In its place, over Queen’s Birthday weekend in 2021 – when…

Our thoughts go out to everyone who is being affected by the Covid-19 but in particular all the violinists who have competed, collaborated and judged over the last twenty years of The Michael Hill International Violin Competition.  We acknowledge the huge impact the virus is having on their ability to perform and earn their livings. The “Michael Hill” takes the health and safety of its artists, staff, supporters and audience members very seriously.  We are following the advice…