Battle of the bows: top violinists to compete for travelling scholarship

Violinists
2014 Dorcas McClean winner Anne-Marie Johnson. Image: Sav Schulman.

Australia’s finest young violinists will compete for a total prize pool of $55,000 in the final rounds of the country’s most generous violin scholarship, the University of Melbourne’s Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship.

Established in 1981, the competition seeks to support the musical education of outstanding young violinists at the beginning of their careers and is open to all violinists aged 25 and under who have been resident in Australia for two or more years.

The first prize will be awarded to enable further study overseas and the opportunity to record and perform with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra during the tenure of the scholarship.

University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Associate Professor of Violin and Head of Strings Curt Thompson, and one of this year’s adjudicators, said the level of applicants to this year’s competition was the highest he had seen since taking up his appointment with the University four years ago.

“I'm very excited to hear them perform and I know audiences will be thrilled to see what fantastic talent we have here in Australia,” Dr Thompson said.

“We are also delighted to have as a distinguished juror Oleh Krysa, top prizewinner at the Paganini, Tchaikovsky, Montreal and Wieniawski international violin competitions, so the event this year will be very special,” he said.

One of Australia’s most gifted violinists, Dorcas McClean (1917–1981) began her musical studies at the age of three at the New South Wales Conservatorium.

By the age of 12, Dorcas was hailed by critics as a child virtuoso after her performance of the Finale from the Concerto No. 2 in D minor by Wieniawski in Sydney.

Shortly before her death, Dorcas McClean expressed her wish to establish a scholarship to advance the musical education of young Australian violinists.

Following the bequest of her estate, the Travelling Scholarships for Violinists were established by the University of Melbourne in honour of the brilliant musician and dedicated patron of the arts.

The top six entrants, chosen by a panel of prominent international violinists, will perform in two free public concerts at Melba Hall next week (Monday 1 August and Tuesday 2 August).

The final three entrants will perform solos with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Friday 5 August.