Introducing this year’s Young Artists

This year we have a dozen extremely talented emerging artists joining us for the festival. These young artists aged 18 to 28 have made waves both here in New Zealand and overseas. Although covid has placed some restrictions on them…. It means we are lucky enough to have them perform and engage with the community here in Queenstown! Most recently five of our young artists took part in the National String Comp etition and Lewis Eady National Piano…

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Prize Winners of the National Competitions

NATIONAL STRING COMPETITION Cellist Hyein Kim has taken out the 1st Prize of the National String Competition. In this afternoon’s Grand Final, three string finalists each performed a 20 min recital, adjudicated by Justine Cormack. As the first prize winner of the National String Competition, Hyein receives: NZD $5,000 in cash + Recital at Lewis Eady Steinway Showroom + Performance opportunity with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (Kindly donated by the Becroft Foundation) The full prize winners are: First…

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DAY 2 OF SEMI-FINAL ROUNDS
Otis Prescott-Mason, 18, Piano

DAY 2 OF SEMI-FINAL ROUNDS

Yesterday, the second semi-final rounds of the Competitions were held. The format of the competition required that each semi-finalist performed two separate recitals over the two days of semi-finals, consisting of contrasting works representing different genres of musical styles and include at least one work by a New Zealand composer.  What a treat for our small but keen audience and for our adjudicators. We want to thank the competitors again for their incredible performances over the last two…

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FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

Following two demanding days of semi-finals, three String and three Piano finalists are moving on to the Grand Final tomorrow. The finalists for the Grand Final are (in their performance order): 1. Christine Jeon, String (Cello) 2. Shuan Liu, Piano 3. KiHei Lee, String (Violin) 4. Otis Prescott-Mason, Piano 5. Hyein Kim, String (Cello) 6. Jessica Chi, Piano Bios and final round repertoire can be found here. The winner of each of the Competitions (String & Piano) receives…

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Day 1 of Semi-final rounds

Yesterday, we had the first rounds of the semi-finals for both the String and Piano competitions. The (limited) audiences and our esteemed adjudicators had the opportunity to watch New Zealand’s best young musicians in action. A broad array of incredible music was performed with technical wizardry and the competitors showed maturity beyond their years. Thank you to all the competitors, who have all been incredibly committed and have shown tenacity through all the rescheduling and challenges presented to…

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The Competitions are really happening!

Through commitment to the young musicians we serve, we are presenting a nimble event - short on audience due to capacity restrictions with the New Zealand government's Covid management framework, but high on talent and incredible repertoire. Last night, we hosted a welcome event at the Lewis Eady showroom, with our competitors and limited selected guests, to officially kick off the Competitions. With a warm welcome, Anne Rodda and John Eady articulated words of encouragement, expressed respect for…

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Young Artists selected for 2022 Whakatipu Music Festival

We are excited to congratulate and announce the following 12 Young Artists (some of NZ's top emerging musical talents aged 18 - 26) who have been selected through a competitive national online audition process for the few coveted spots. Zephyr Wills (Viola) Begonia Chan (Cello) Shuan Liu (Piano) Clare Hood (Soprano) April Ju (Violin) Otis Prescott-Mason (Piano) Cecile McNeill (Viola) Stefenie Pickston (Clarinet) KiHei Lee (Violin) Hazuki Katsukawa (Violin) Jessica Chi (Piano) Peter Gjelsten (Violin)

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