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.
Revisit all the 2023 performances on our Youtube channel.
Latest News - Keeping up with the play!
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 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…
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…
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…
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So the Review from the @NZHerald is out... BUT
- it`s behind their paywall, which is probably a sign it`s a spectacular review!! (Mr Dart knows his stuff!)
But for those who haven`t paid for an online subscription to this newspaper - please share your own `review` in the comments below!
And if you`d like to revisit or see the Grand Finale for yourself - it`s up on our youtube.com/@MHIVC channel and our website homepage...
Tell us what you thought of the Grand Final in the comments below!
Major Partners - @MichaelHillInternational @CraigsInvestmentPartners @ChironMusicAcademy
#MHIVC2023
Jun 12
Get your vote in for the Michael Hill International Violin Competition`s famous Audience Prize. ALL 16 competitors are eligible to win.
Rank the players in order of your most ‘preferred’, with 1 being your favourite.
Follow the link in bio
Major event partners -
@MichaelHillJ @chironmusicacademy #craigsinvestmentpartners
#mhivc2023
Jun 10
ATTN: The finalists for the 2023 Michael Hill International Violin Competition are...
Lorenz Karls (Sweden/ Austria)
Claire Wells (USA/Germany)
Yeyeong Jenny Jin (South Korea/USA)
The Grand Finale performance will call on each competitor to perform their chosen concerto with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Andrew Litton.
The Grand Finale will take place on Saturday 10 June, 7.30pm - Auckland Town Hall.
Please see LINK IN BIO for booking information.
@yjennyjin @claire.wells #LorenzKarls
Jun 8
Semi-Finalists announced as the Michael Hill International Violin Competition travels from Queenstown to Auckland
See our website for details - link in bio
Special thanks to all our Queenstown Destination Partners - @thecarlinhotel @QueenstownPark @HotelStMoritz @Pureblacknz @QueenstownWeddingHire @TouchdownCarRentals @TheHeadwatersEcoLodge @PinewoodLodge
Jun 5
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