Our Grand Winner …

*Matthias Balzat was the Grand Winner. He received an additional $1,000 plus a solo opportunity with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra*

The Winners ….

L to R: Delvan Lin (Piano - 2nd place); Siyu Sun (Piano -1st place); Matthias Balzat (Instrumental - 1st place); Hyein Kim (Instrumental - 2nd place) — **L to R:** **Delvan Lin** (*Piano – 2nd place*); **Siyu** **Sun** (*Piano -1st place*); **Matthias Balzat** (*Instrumental – 1st place*); **Hyein Kim** (*Instrumental – 2nd place)*

Our Finalists in action ….

Hyein Kim (Waikato) playing "Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 by Dvorak" — **Hyein Kim** **(Waikato)** *playing “Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 by Dvorak”*

Delvan Lin (Auckland) playing "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 by Rachmaninoff" — **Delvan Lin (Auckland)** playing “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 by Rachmaninoff”

Siyu Sun (Christchurch) playing "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 by Rachmaninoff" — **Siyu Sun (Christchurch)** *playing “Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 by Rachmaninoff”*

Matthais Balzat (Auckland) playing "Cello Concerto No. 1 in Eb major, Op. 107 by Shostakovich" — **Matthais Balzat (Auckland)** *playing “Cello Concerto No. 1 in Eb major, Op. 107 by Shostakovich”*

Our Guest Performer –

Mark Menzies with Tim Emerson …

Mark Menzies (Guest Performer) playing "Piwakawaka (Fantail) with Tim Emerson accompanying" — **Mark Menzies (Guest Performer)** *playing “Piwakawaka (Fantail) with Tim Emerson accompanying”*

Winners Announced ….

The packed Aurora Centre was treated to 4 amazing performances last night by each of our Finalists accompanied by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. It was a very special evening being the 50th competition!
Please see link here for the results Winners – 50th National Concerto Final – 4.3.17 and here for the March Newsletter Concerto Newsletter – March 2017. More photos to follow shortly ….

National Concerto Competition Final – “Programme and Booklet”

Only a few days now until the National Concerto Competition Final – thank you to those who have already purchased tickets – there is still plenty of time and just a reminder door sales will be from 5.30 p.m.!

Just to let you know this year the Programme will be at a cost of $5.00. These will be sold in the foyer – so look out for one of our sellers!

We have also been working on a “50th Anniversary Booklet”. Wallace Woodley and a small team have been working very hard for the past 8 months contacting as many of the Finalists over the 50 years and creating a summary of the career histories. To date we have had a tremendous response and the Booklet will contain 130+ career histories (we had 160 to contact!). The cost to purchase this “50th Anniversary Booklet” will be $5.00.

If you wish to purchase either the Programme or Booklet please bring cash!

January 2017 Newsletter …

Concerto Newsletter – January 2017 This newsletter has information regarding ticketing for the Final and a link to our Ticketek webpage for convenience.

THE FINALISTS ….

National Concerto 50th Competition Finalists: (L to R) Matthias Balzat, Delvan Lin, Siyu Sun, Hye In Kim — **National Concerto 50th Competition Finalists:** (*L to R)*
*Matthias Balzat (Auckland), Delvan Lin (Auckland), Siyu Sun (Christchurch) , Hye In Kim (Waikato)*

The Semi-Finalists …

Alex Geary (Hamilton) performs "Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26" — **Alex Geary (Hamilton)** performs *“Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26” by Shostakovich*

Reuben Chin (Wellington) performs "Fantasia for Saxophone, Three Horns and Strings" — **Reuben Chin (Wellington)** performs *“Fantasia for Saxophone, Three Horns and Strings” by Heitor Villa-Lobos*

Lixin Zhang (Christchurch) playing "Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21" — **Lixin Zhang (Christchurch)** performs *“Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21” by Chopin*

Han Sol Jeong (Christchurch) performs "Piano Concerto No. 3 in E major" — **Han Sol Jeong (Christchurch)** performs *“Piano Concerto No. 3 in E major” by Bartok*

Some photos from the Semi-Finals … ALUMNI CONCERT!

Tony Ferner accompanied by Michael Lawrence - Alumni Concert — **Tony Ferner** accompanied by **Michael Lawrence – Alumni Concert**

Alumni Concert - 2 pianists entertain the audience - Bryan Sayer and Richard Mapp — **Alumni Concert** – 2 pianists entertain the audience – **Bryan Sayer and Richard Mapp**

The 3 Adjudicators perform in the Alumni Concert. (L to R) Wilma Smith (Violin); Richard Mapp (Piano) and Mark Walton (Clarinet) — The **3 Adjudicators** perform in the **Alumni** **Concert.** (L to R) *Wilma Smith (Violin); Richard Mapp (Piano) and Mark Walton (Clarinet)*

December 2016 Newsletter …

concerto-newsletter-december-2016 Please see attached December 2016 Newsletter.

FINALISTS announced …

finalists-4th-march-2017 Many congratulations to the 4 Finalists announced tonight to play in the National Concerto 50th Competition Final on Saturday 4th March 2017, Aurora Centre Burnside High School at 7.00 p.m. More details will follow in the next few weeks ….. Also watch this page for photos of the Semi-Finals!

Semi-Finals – Special Awards announced …..

most-potential-winners Please see attached link for a list of the Special Awards announced at the Semi-Finals on Friday night.

Semi-Finalists announced …..

semi-finalists – Please see attached link for a list of the Semi-Finalists who will play on Friday 9th December 2016, at The Piano, 156 Armagh Street. There are 2 Semi-Final sessions: 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. and 7.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. Tickets are $25.00 All Day Pass – available at the door.

Recital by Martin Riseley …

We can now confirm at the end of the Semi-Finals on Friday 9th December 2016 (approximately 8.30 p.m.) “a Recital from Martin Riseley, a past National Concerto Competition winner will play works by Paganini, Lyell Cresswell and more …”

Alumni Concert details ….

alumni-concert-information Please see attached link for information about the Alumni Concert being held on Friday 9th December from 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. at The Piano, Centre for Music and the Arts, 156 Armagh Street. Just a reminder door sales only and cash – no eftpos facilities available!

November Newsletter is out now …

concerto-newsletter-november-2016 Please see attached link for the latest information on the Concerto Competition. It contains details on dates, venue, times and ticket pricing. Just a reminder door sales only and cash – no eftpos facilities available!

Rehearsal and Preliminary Schedules are available now!

rehearsalschedule Please see attached link for the Rehearsal Schedule.

national-concerto-preliminary-programme-2016 Please see attached link for the Preliminary Schedule.

Entry Form for 2016/2017 National Concerto 50th Competition

Please see attached entry-form-2016-2017 for the 2016/2017 Competition. Please note the Entry Form has been updated today (Thursday 22nd September 2016) and I have highlighted in yellow the areas that have changed. This is particularly important if you become a Finalists as the Rehearsal for the Final will be in Wellington on Monday 27th February 2017.

To celebrate our 50th competition we are having both a Piano and Instrumental competition. We have added in a paragraph in Rules and Conditions No. 4. It is regarding your choice of music. If you have any doubts as to the suitability of your choice, we recommend that you seek at an early stage the opinion of the Trustees before submitting you entry. If you have any questions or queries please contact the Secretary: secretary@musiccanterbury.co.nz.

Total Prize Pool: $30,150

First Prize: $10,000 for Piano; $10,000 for Instrumental

Second Prize: $3,000 for Piano; $3,000 for Instrumental

Grand Winner: $1,000 (Additional) plus the opportunity for a solo performance with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

Welcome to the 2016-2017 National Concerto 50th Competition page!

This is a wonderful milestone for the competition and we are planning many celebrations! Over the last few weeks I have had some queries about the structure of the competition this year – it is going to be different so please read attached link for current information Competition Update for Website. Please note: some of this information could be subject to change as we are still in the planning stages!

The Entry Form will be available on this page on 1st July 2016. Entries will close on Friday 14th October 2016.

2016-2017 National Concerto 50th Competition