Tight race in the Michael Hill international Violin Competition

Michael Hill International Violin Competition
Finalists Concert Auckland Town Hall
June 13

The winner of this year’s Michael Hill International Violin Competition was Sueyon Kang from Australia who received $40,000, a recording contract on the Atoll label, a personalised professional development programme, a bespoke gown from Kiri Nathan and a Michael Hill gold and diamond pendant from Christine Hill’s Spirits Bay Collection.

Suyeon will also return to New Zealand in 2016 for an intensive performance tour across the country, presented in partnership with Chamber Music NZ and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

There were 158 entrants in this year’s competition. These were reduced to 92, then to 18 who performed in semi-finals in Queenstown last week and then six who performed in semi-finals in Auckland with a final competition between three of the entrants.

The three finalists (Sueyon Kang, Timothy Chooi and Eunae Koh) were all exceptionally talented and few would have been surprised had the judges awarded the prize to any of the three violinists. Judging the competition is particularly difficult as judges are not allowed to confer and the results on based on cumulative scores over the different parts of the competition over several days. The judges made no comment about the winners but one would assume the main things they would be looking for or should be looking for apart from technical brilliance are; what the violinist does to the music and what the music does to the violinist. Sueyon Kang showed that in both of these areas she was a true professional.

There was an incredible maturity to her playing of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, This was more than mere playing of the music but rather a thoughtful and reflective interpretation She appeared to have an appreciation and understanding of the possibilities of the music and brought out qualities of ecstasy, pathos and introspection In much of the music the orchestra painted visions of landscapes and seascapes, and Kang’s playing at times appeared to be a human, animal or avian presence, intruding into the landscape or soaring above it.

She displayed a constant attention to detail and she used her violin to discover the emotional qualities of the music, at times playing with a delicate sensitivity and at others with a passionate intensity.

It was notable that in the competition this year, of the 18 competitors 17 were female. While three of the competitors were from Europe, all the others were Asian, including some who hailed from Canada, the US and Australia.

South Korea’s Eunae Koh came second receiving $10,000 and Canada’s Timmy Chooi was placed third, for which he received $5000. Koh also received the $2000 Chamber Music Prize as the top performer in Round Three. Fourth place was given to Japan’s Natsumi Tsuboi who receives $3000, South Korea’s Elly Suh placed fifth receiving $2000, and the sixth place-getter, Marie-Christine Klettner from Austria, receives $1000. The international jury this year comprised Pierre Amoyal (France / Switzerland), Sergiu Schwartz (Romania), Young Uck Kim (South Korea), Joseph Lin (US), Susie Park (Australia), Helene Pohl (New Zealand) and Benjamin Schmid (Austria).