Soulful violinist wins First Prize

Tseng Yu-Chien from Taiwan wins the First Prize at the inaugural Singapore International Violin Competition

Fighting off stiff competition from two other grand finalists, Tseng Yu-Chien left the audience spell-bound with his sensitive rendition of Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 to emerge winner of the inaugural Singapore International Violin Competition (SIVC), hosted by NUS Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM).

A landmark cultural initiative by the Conservatory, the event featured young outstanding violinists, many of whom have triumphed at prestigious platforms such as the Sarasate Competition and International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. The consistently high standards displayed would assure the SIVC's reputation of attracting global top talents, declared Associate Professor Qian Zhou, founding Head of Strings at YSTCM and Jury Chair. She said: "At each round, it became more and more difficult to select those to go on to the next level, as the quality of the performances was truly world-class.

Yu-Chien from Taiwan is no stranger to excellence. Since getting the Third Prize in the junior division of the Menuhin Competition at the tender age of eleven, he has acquired an impressive array of prizes and participated in numerous recitals. He will receive $67,000 (US$50,000), a recording produced and distributed by classical music recording label Naxos, and international performance opportunities with some of the world's great orchestras.

The Second and Third Prizes went to Richard Lin from Taiwan and Sirena Huang from the US, respectively. YSTCM alumnus Loh Jun Hong, who put up a laudable performance, was named the Best Singaporean Performer, winning the Master Bow crafted by famous bowmaker Pierre Guillaume.

The next edition of the competition is scheduled for 2018.