Yeyeong Jenny Jin (20) of South Korea/ USA has been awarded first prize at the 2023 Michael Hill International Violin Competition. Born in South Korea, Yeyeong began violin lessons at age two. She is currently a student at The Juilliard School and a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. Yeyeong has won top prizes at the Stulberg International String and the Zhuhai International Violin Competitions. As the first prize winner, Jenny receives a major cash prize alongside a…

The Audience Prize is live... it's time to have your say!  Online voting for our Audience Prize is now open and ready for you to lodge your preferences. Each voter has the opportunity to 'vote' once per round (there are 4 rounds, including the Final). Our voting system is a voter preference system, which means you will rank the players in order of your most 'preferred', with 1 being your favourite. You simply need to follow the link…

In round III each of the 6 semifinalists have performed, in its entirety, one of the four string quintets by Mozart. This round has run over two evenings – with three semi-finalists performing on each night. On stage they were joined by collaborating artists ASHLEY BROWN (cello), AMALIA HALL (violin), GILLIAN ANSELL (viola) and ROBERT ASHWORTH (viola). After two intense evenings of stunning chamber music the grand finale line-up has been confirmed. The three competitors selected to go…

As our first full day in Auckland, it was a busy one of rehearsal and preparation for our Semi-Finalists and an equally busy day for those competitors who were keen to 'give back' and take part in visiting schools around Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. These visits ranged from demonstrations and short informal 'concerts' to active workshops with the school's own ensembles. With this being the first year the Auckland String Sessions has been included in the Michael Hill programme,…

Day 5 is travel day - flying all 16 Competitors and backstage team up to Auckland for the semi-final and finale performances at the Auckland Town Hall. It was a particularly early start for our 6 semi-finalists - who gathered on the shores of Lake Whakatipu for a final photoshoot in the early morning light. If you couldn't get to Queenstown or catch any of the livestreams for the first two Quarter Final rounds - never fear! Our…

Rain has come to Queenstown and there is talk amongst the locals that... "if the temperature continues to drop on the Crown Ranges it might just snow"... This part of New Zealand's South Island is a place full of extreme contrasts, something that is also reflected so beautifully in this competition with the incredible range of repertoire performed across the eight days. Round 2 is our chance to hear from all 16 competitors again but a particular highlight…