BY JASMINE MIDDLETON
Eight months, 48 hours of competition, 12 semi-finalists, and three finalists later, the ABC Young Performers Awards 2018 announced its winner.
Renowned for celebrating and nurturing exceptionally talented Australian musicians, it now welcomes violinist Emily Sun into its impressive list of alumni who contribute significantly to the musical culture of Australia.
After taking out the winning place in a final concerto battle with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra this 24 July, Emily (pictured above-centre) receives a scholarship of $80,000 and is named the ABC Classic FM Artist in Residence. The wealth of opportunity provided with the award also includes engagements with major orchestras and venues across the nation.
Emily’s fellow finalist Oliver Shermacher (clarinet) took out the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and audience choice prizes; while pianist Kevin Chow won the Australian Festival of Chamber Music Prize.
Emily is no stranger to YPA, having also won its Strings prize in 2011. She’s performed as a soloist with major Australian and international orchestras, and after studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music she is enrolled in the Royal College of Music and artist-in-residence at Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth.
Congratulations on your fantastic achievement, Emily! What does winning this prestigious award mean to you?
Winning the ABC YPA 2018 is definitely the highlight of my musical life to date! It will bring so many wonderful opportunities for me at home, I’m very humbled to be selected as the winner of such a prestigious award.
Can you describe to us some of the highlights of your musical journey that led you to this day?
Definitely one highlight was performing Bach’s Double Violin Concerto with Maxim Vengerov in Buckingham Palace for the 2017 Royal Gala, hosted by HRH Prince of Wales! It was a very surreal experience.
Huge amounts of time and hard work go into preparing for pivotal moments like these in a musician’s career. What was going through your mind as you stepped onstage with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to deliver your final performance of the competition?
To perform the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the SSO in the Sydney Opera House is monumental for me. I was just so excited and felt so privileged to be given this opportunity. I just treated it like a concert. I actually forgot it was a competition when I was performing!
Why is it important to support emerging Australian artists through competitions like the YPA?
I think the YPA is very unique in the way it supports young musicians by bridging the gap between student and professional life. It is a really important step to make, and to have a competition like YPA that understands and supports this challenge is so invaluable. For many of us, to be able to perform with the SSO in SOH is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
How will winning this award help further your musical career?
I am hoping it will open more doors for me in Australia, to perform across the country. I would love to collaborate with all the fine musicians in Australia.
What do you believe the new generation of young musicians can bring to classical music?
I am blown away by the passion and integrity of so many young musicians. I think if we keep respecting the music and spreading it as far and wide as we can, we will touch many souls.
And lastly – how are you celebrating?
No rest for the wicked! I’m now back in London after a very long flight, preparing for recitals in the United Kingdom, Edinburgh, and France. I’ll celebrate by performing beautiful music!
Congratulations to all participants of the ABC Young Performers Awards! Learn some more about these talents here.
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