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Nau mai, haere mai and welcome to the Dunedin Concerto Competition!
Launched in 2021, the Dunedin Concerto Competition stands as a beacon of opportunity for the young classical musicians of Otago and Southland. Our mission is simple yet profound: to provide a platform for emerging talents to develop and showcase their performing skills. Since our inception, we have proudly hosted successful competitions in 2021 and 2023, with the third eagerly anticipated in 2025.
The Preliminary Rounds, held at the Marama Hall, University of Otago, have seen a growing number of participants, with as many as 30 talented individuals in 2021 and 22 in 2023. From these rounds, three finalists are selected, earning the prestigious opportunity to perform in the Finalists' Concert alongside an orchestra.
In addition to the honour of participation, significant prizes await the winners in 2025. The first-place winner will receive $7,000, with $5,000 awarded for second place and $3,000 for third place. Furthermore, prizes will be allocated to instrument categories, totalling around $5,000.
Our collaboration with the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and the Dunedin Youth Orchestra (DYO) has been pivotal in creating unforgettable musical experiences. These partnerships have allowed our finalists to shine on stage, accompanied by seasoned professionals, under the direction of esteemed conductors such as Peter Adams in 2021 and Anthony Ritchie in 2023.
In 2021, Rose Stevenson (violin) claimed the top prize, with Abhinath Berry (piano) and Boudewijn Keenan (cello) securing second and third place, respectively. In 2023, Boudewijn Keenan (cello) emerged as the winner, with Elio Oh (violin) and Cameron Monteath (piano) securing second and third place. In 2021, a total of $12,900 and 2023 $13,500 were awarded to category prize winners and finalists, respectively.
Distinguished New Zealand musicians like Diedre Irons, Bridget Douglas, and Donald Maurice graced our adjudication panel in 2021, ensuring fairness and expertise in our evaluation process. Richard Mapp, Debbie Rawson, and Donald Maurice adjudicated our competition in 2023.
The Dunedin Concerto Competition could not take place if it were not for the generous patronage of the HTowers Charitable Trust and the Bill and Clare Hodgson Bequest.
"On behalf of the HTowers Charitable Trust and Bill and Clare Hodgson Bequest, we are delighted to support the third Dunedin Concerto Competition to be held in 2025. The competition will bring together and celebrate some of the finest young musical talent throughout the Southern region. We look forward to this wonderful opportunity."
Bruce Hodgson Patron: Dunedin Concerto Competition
As we look forward to the 2025 competition, we invite you to join us in celebrating the finest young musical talent throughout the Otago and Southland regions at the Dunedin Concerto Competition.
*We extend our deepest condolences to the Hodgson family on the passing of Clare and Bill Hodgson in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Their unwavering support and patronage have been instrumental in the success of our competition.
Adjudicators
Jian Liu
An internationally celebrated concert pianist, chamber musician, and educator, Dr Jian Liu has performed and taught throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. His artistry has taken him to some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. He has released many solo and chamber albums in New Zealand and US, and his performances have been broadcast by various TV and radio stations including KPHO public radio (USA), CCTV (China), Suisse Romande Radio (Switzerland), Krakow Radio (Poland), Kan Radio (Israel) and Radio New Zealand. Having premiered and recorded many New Zealand compositions, Dr Liu is also a champion for New Zealand music, having premiered and recorded many New Zealand compositions. In 2022, he collaborated with Shanghai Music Publishing House, editing, and publishing two volumes of New Zealand Piano Works, which mark the first publication of New Zealand music in China. The project was awarded a Creative New Zealand Arts Grant. Dr Liu is currently the Acting Head of School and Head of Piano Studies at New Zealand School of Music. He studied with Professor Jin Zhang and Dr Caio Pagano and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale School of Music, where he was a student and assistant of Professor Claude Frank.
Monique Lapins
Monique Lapins was, until recently, the Second violinist of the New Zealand String Quartet and Lecturer at the New Zealand School of Music - Te Kōkī, Victoria University of Wellington. She is the violinist of the Ghost Piano Trio, who will tour with CMNZ in 2025. She performs regularly with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and Orchestra Wellington. She has been a finalist twice in the Asia Pacific Chamber Music Competition. She has performed in festivals throughout France, the Czech Republic, Holland, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and at the Open Chamber Music Seminars in Prussia Cove directed by world-renowned cellist Steven Isserlis. Monique has toured extensively in collaboration with the Australian Chamber Orchestra Collective, the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Monique has performed with artists including Seiji Ozawa (conductor) in Japan, Philippe Herreweghe (conductor) in France, Jerusalem String Quartet in New Zealand (Adam Chamber Music Festival - ACMF), Dénes Várjon (pianist) in New Zealand (ACMF) and as a soloist with French violinist, Oliver Charlier in Japan. Monique Lapins is a recording artist with Naxos and Rattle Labels and performs on an 1883 Gand violin, kindly on loan from the Rin Collection in Singapore.
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Samuel Jacobs
Sam was appointed Principal Horn of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in 2024. He previously held the position of Principal Horn with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, returning to NZ in 2017 after a three-year tenure as Principal Horn of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.
During his time in the UK, he performed as a guest Principal Horn with numerous leading symphony orchestras. In the Southern Hemisphere, he often collaborates as guest Principal Horn with the Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras and played a significant role in the 2016 ‘Ring Cycle’ in Melbourne.
As a soloist, Sam has performed concertos by Haydn, Mozart, Hoffmann, Franz Strauss, and Richard Strauss. He recorded John Rimmer’s Horn Concerto with the NZSO, and his performance of Mozart’s 4th Horn Concerto with Sinfonia Viva was broadcast on Classic FM. Sam also toured this concerto with the NZSO in 2016. Currently, he teaches horn at the New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University Wellington.
Sam has made numerous commercial recordings for the film and pop industries, including albums with Sting, Sam Smith, and Florence & the Machine, and soundtracks for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”, “Interstellar”, “The Martian”, and the Bond film “Spectre”. He has also contributed to scores for television and video games, including the Halo franchise. He has recorded on numerous live BBC Radio 3 broadcasts and on many commercial record labels.
Some of Sam's career highlights include performing with Sting at iconic venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, New York Met, and MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He also played Principal Horn on the Star Wars In Concert tour across America, Canada, and Europe with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.