Michael Hill International Violin Competition Announces 2026 Competitors

The 2026 competitors in New Zealand’s coveted Michael Hill International Violin Competition have been announced today.

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 (Berlin), Jakow Pavlenko (Berlin), Alexey Stychkin (Berlin), Maxim Tzekov (Berlin), Dindin Jingyi Wang (Melbourne), Ruiyi Wang (Shanghai), Sophie Wang (Berlin), Rino Yoshimoto (Vienna) and Xunyue Zhang (Berlin).

There are also six alternates who will be invited to step in if any of the selected competitors are unable to compete. They are, in order: Julia Wang (Vienna), Yebin Yoo (Melbourne), Zixuan Shen (Beijing), Leyang Tang (Berlin), Nicholas Hammel (Austin) and Sara Schlumberger-Ruiz (Berlin).

The Competition, generously supported by the Hill Family Foundation for Arts and Music, returns to Queenstown and Auckland, New Zealand, from 29 May to 6 June 2026. The winner receives NZ$40,000, a recording contract with the Atoll label, and a multi-centre Winner’s Tour with Chamber Music New Zealand and Auckland Philharmonia. There are a number of other prizes, too, including the Sheila Smith Prize - a three-year loan of a Domenico Montagnana violin, facilitated by Rare Violins of New York.

Of the selection process and the resulting line-up of 2026 competitors, 2026 selection panelist Vesa-Matti Leppänen, also Concertmaster of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO), says, “The 2026 Michael Hill International Violin Competition will be an outstanding showcase of musical talent from around the world. The overall quality of the applicants proved to be extremely high, which made the job for us in the selection panel both enjoyable and challenging.

“Having been part of the panel for more than two decades, I was especially thrilled to see the consistent technical brilliance allowing these virtuosos to fully express their emotional depth and musicality. After deliberating, we are convinced that the audiences in Queenstown, Auckland and abroad will be able to experience performances by some of the finest young violinists of their generation.”

The ‘Michael Hill’ has been a platform for some of the world’s most successful contemporary soloists, teachers, concertmasters, ensemble players and professors in the world, including past winners Joseph Lin (2001), Natalia Lomeiko (2003), Ning Feng (2005), Bella Hristova (2007), Josef Špaček (2009), Sergey Malov (2011), Nikki Chooi (2013), Suyeon Kang (2015), Ioana Cristina Goicea (2017), Anna Do Gyung Im (2019) and Yeyeong (Jenny) Jin (2023).

Making the initial selection of 16 quarter-finalists was Nikki Chooi (2013 winner and Concertmaster, Buffalo Philharmonic and Santa Fe Opera Orchestra), Vesa-Matti Leppänen (Concertmaster, NZSO), Andrew Beer (Concertmaster, Auckland Philharmonia), Amalia Hall (Violinist, NZTrio) and Mark Menzies (Professor of Music at University of Canterbury, New Zealand).

When the Competition rolls around in May, the international judging panel - a line-up of titans of the violin world - comprises globally-acclaimed soloist James Ehnes (Canada/USA), first violinist for Takacs Quartet, Ed Dusinberre (UK/USA), Josef Spacek (Czech Republic, winner of the 2009 Competition), Geneva Lewis (NZ/USA), leading pedagogue Prof Vera Tsu Weiling (Hong Kong, Shenzhen), Concertmaster of the Auckland Philharmonia, Andrew Beer (Canada/NZ), and Concertmaster of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Natsuko Yoshimoto (Australia).

The quarter-finals - Rounds I and II - will lift the roof off Queenstown Memorial Centre as technical brilliance meets emotional depth across two performances by each performer across four days. Following Queenstown’s quarter-finals, six competitors will be selected by the judges to compete in the semi-finals (Round III) in Auckland - Piano Quintets with NZTrio and violist Rob Ashworth.

The Competition’s Grand Final, in which each of the three finalists performs a concerto with the Auckland Philharmonia at Auckland’s Town Hall on 6 June 2026, offers audiences drama, passion and breathtaking violin - a rare opportunity to witness the future stars of classical music the moment their careers are launched.

Notes:

Michael Hill International Violin 2026

29 May to 1 June
Rounds I and II (Quarter-finals) - Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown Memorial Hall

3-4 June
Round III (Semi-finals) - Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland Town Hall

6 June
Grand Final - Auckland, New Zealand
Auckland Town Hall

Tickets go on sale in early 2026.

About the Michael Hill International Violin Competition

On a triennial basis, 16 outstanding 18 to 26-year-old violinists, who are selected by audition, travel to Queenstown and Auckland, New Zealand, where they are wholeheartedly embraced by local audiences who journey 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 New Zealand. For the rest of their careers, competitors remain connected to this small, creative country in the heart of the South Pacific.

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