From Aotearoa New Zealand to audiences around the world For 17 extraordinary days, the 2026 Michael Hill International Violin Competition brought world-class music to communities across Aotearoa New Zealand and to audiences around the globe. Across 50 concerts, performances, masterclasses and community events, the Competition welcomed 4,800 live audience attendances in Christchurch, Queenstown, Auckland and Wellington, celebrating its Silver Anniversary with its largest and most connected programme to date. The Competition’s impact extended well beyond the concert hall.…

“The Michael Hill is much more than a competition—it is a place where music brings people together and creates memories and friendships that last far beyond the event itself."  - Competitor One of the greatest privileges of presenting the Michael Hill International Violin Competition is hearing what remains with people long after the final notes have faded. Over recent weeks we have received messages from competitors, jurors, host families, Fellows, audience members, sponsors, partners and supporters from New…

Following a spectacular Grand Final at Auckland Town Hall’s Great Hall on Saturday 6 June, 22-year-old Berlin-based Australian Beatrice Colombis was announced the winner of the 2026 Michael Hill International Violin Competition, receiving NZ$40,000, a recording contract with the Atoll label, a multi-centre Winner’s Tour with Chamber Music New Zealand and Auckland Philharmonia, and a personalised professional development programme. The full list of prize winners is: First prize (prizes as above): Beatrice Colombis (Sydney/Berlin) Second prize (NZD$10,000): Tianyou Ma (New…

The Michael Hill International Violin Competition Fellowship programme has been developed to encourage and support New Zealand-based emerging violinists who are studying at a high-performance level with the intention of making a career as a performer. In 2026, six fellows, including a collaborative pianist, were hand-picked to benefit from an accelerated enrichment and engagement programme alongside the 2026 Michael Hill International Violin Competition. In addition to attending rehearsals and performance heats throughout the competition, these Kiwi musicians took…

12th Michael Hill International Violin Competition New Zealand is a remarkable country with remarkable people and remarkable achievements. In 1893, it became the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote; in 2017, the country elected Jacinda Ardern as the world’s youngest prime minister; and Auckland, the country’s largest city, consistently ranks among the top cities in the world for quality of life. It is therefore hardly surprising that the Michael Hill International Violin…

Berlin-based Australian violinist Beatrice Colombis has won the 12th Michael Hill International Violin Competition, generously supported by the Hill Family Foundation for Arts and Music. Following a spectacular Grand Final at Auckland Town Hall’s Great Hall tonight in which three finalists, including Tianyou Ma and Jakow Pavlenko, each performed a concerto with the Auckland Philharmonia, 22-year-old Colombis was announced the winner of the 2026 Michael Hill International Violin Competition, receiving NZ$40,000, a recording contract with the Atoll label,…

Three competitors have been selected by the judges to perform in thrilling Grand Final in Auckland after a spectacular chamber music round Wednesday and Thursday evening saw the six semi-finalists battle it out in what is considered the Competition’s most illuminating stage – the chamber music round. Each competitor performed a piano quintet with eminent NZ musicians violinist Amalia Hall (NZTrio), cellist Matthias Balzat (NZTrio), pianist Jian Liu (NZTrio), and violist Robert Ashworth (Auckland Philharmonia). The three finalists,…

Following four exceptional days of quarter-finals at the Queenstown Memorial Centre, in which 16 extraordinary violinists from across the world each performed two programmes of work, the judges have selected the following six Competitors to move through to Round III - the Chamber round - in Auckland this week (in their performance order): Wednesday 3 June Hyein Koo (Seoul) Tianyou Ma (New York) Beatrice Colombis (Sydney/Berlin) Thursday 4 June Jakow Pavlenko (Berlin) Xunyue Zhang (Berlin) Julia Wang (Vienna)…