Six talented young musicians from the North Shore are among 30 of New Zealand’s very best classical string and piano talents vying for top prizes in the 2024 National String and National Piano Competitions this December.

Hailing from Westlake Boys High School are current student Shan Liu (14) and former student Henry Meng (20); Jesse Oh (20) and Dylan Tang (19) both attended Rangitoto College; Madeleine Xiao (19) went to Carmel College for her intermediate and high school years; and Hyun Jae Lee (17) currently attends Pinehurst School.
Madeleine, Henry and Shan also received AIMES Awards from the North Harbour Club.
This year’s National String Competition once again teams up with the equally iconic Lewis Eady National Piano Competition for a weekend of top-level performances (Sat 14 – Mon 16 December). This is a rare chance to see the very best of this country’s young classical artists on the cusp of their musical careers.
All 30 semi-finalists will compete in two semi-final rounds on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 December at the University of Auckland School of Music.
Six finalists will be announced on Sunday evening, who will then go on to compete in the Grand Final on Monday 16 December at the Westlake Girls High School Event Centre with a prize pool of $20,000, plus the opportunity to perform with the Auckland Philharmonia.
The Competition is one of New Zealand’s most prestigious events for emerging artists and is jointly presented by the Hill Family Foundation for Arts and Music and the Chiron Lewis Eady Foundation.
 
Semi-Final Rounds I and II: Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 December – Door Sales only. Adults $15/Students $10/ 10 years and under are free.
Grand Final: Monday 16th December - available online:
https://events.humanitix.com/grand-final-national-string-piano-comp-24 or on the door.
Adults $50/Gold Card $35/Students $25