2025 National finalists
Anna Chung began studying the clarinet at age seven and graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in 2023, where she studied with Mr. David Griffiths. She is currently continuing her studies with Alex Morris in Sydney.
Anna held position of Principal Clarinet for the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Wind Symphony. She has earned several accolades, including second place in the NSW Doctors Orchestra Instrumental Scholarship and the Sydney Eisteddfod Woodwind Concerto Competition.
Internationally, Anna participated in the Philadelphia International Music Festival in 2018 and has since been mentored by renowned clarinettists Ricardo Morales and Boris Allakhverdyan. She has also participated in masterclasses with Yehuda Gilad, Ecesu Setersen, Harri Maki, and Olivier Patey.
In August 2025, Anna will begin a Master of Music in Performance at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under a merit scholarship.
Beatrice Colombis, 21, is an Italian-Australian violinist who recently completed her Bachelor Degree of Music Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music studying with Professor Goetz Richter. She began her studies at the age of 3 with renowned teacher of the Suzuki Method, Yasuki Nakamura, and continued her studies with ACO violinist Ilya Isakovich. After winning the Sydney Conservatorium String Concerto Competition, Beatrice performed Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra in 2023. She performed Prokofiev Concerto No.2 with Caesura Ensemble in 2025 and Schumann Concerto with Concerto Arcana in 2024. Last year, she was a semi-finalist in the Max Rostal International Violin Competition in Germany and a finalist in the Tokyo Classic Violin Competition in Japan. She has been a prize winner in several Australian competitions, including the 2nd prize in the Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship (2025), 1st and audience prizes at the Kendall National Violin Competition (2023), the Roger Woodward AC OBE Award and runner up prize in the 2mbs Young Virtuoso Award (2024), Richard Mills first prize in the Melbourne Bach Competition (2021) the Anne Kantor Award in the Great Romantics Competition (2024). In 2020, Beatrice, with her brother and cousins as the Cousin Quartet, won Musica Viva’s Inaugural Strike A Chord national chamber music competition.
Winner of the 2024 Australian National Piano Award, Joshua Han has been praised for “complete mastery of his instrument as well as complete empathy with the music” (Sydney Arts Guide). Currently undertaking a Master of Music (Performance) under Dr Paul Rickard-Ford at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Joshua has appeared in Australia with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and North Sydney Symphony Orchestra, alongside solo performances in four continents.
Joshua’s recent achievements include first prizes at the 2025 International Piano Competition J. S. Bach and the 2024 Australian National Piano Award, which followed Second Prize and Concerto Prize at the 2024 Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition.
An Australian-born pianist, Joshua started piano studies at the age of four with his mother. Following his first gold in the Sydney Eisteddfod at six years old, and his Licentiate of Music, Australia (LMusA) at 10 years, Joshua won first prizes at the 2014 Ettlingen International Piano Competition, Germany, and the 2015 Aarhus International Piano Competition, Denmark. In 2016, Joshua received a Fellowship Recital Diploma from Trinity College of London at the age of 14.
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Jude Holland completed his Bachelor of Music in 2023 and is currently in his second year of an Honours degree at the UWA Conservatorium of Music. He has studied under Professor Graeme Gilling for around eight years, during which time he earned his AMusA and LMusA diplomas from the AMEB, both with distinction, in 2019 and 2020. At the Conservatorium, Jude has received numerous accolades, including winning the 2021 VOSE Concerto Competition, the 2021 Irwin Street Concerto Competition, and multiple Waveney Wansborough Prizes. In 2023, he performed at Verbrugghen Hall as an Australian Showcase performer at the Sydney International Piano Competition. Later that year, he was selected as one of ten pianists worldwide to participate in a masterclass with Angela Hewitt in Perugia, Italy, as part of the Trasimeno Music Festival. In 2024, he was a semi-finalist in the Lev Vlassenko Piano Competition and was awarded third prize in the Australian National Piano Award.
Brian Luo embarked on his musical journey at the age of six, commencing piano lessons under the tutelage of Prof. David Lockett AM at the age of eight. Demonstrating remarkable passion and talent, he swiftly garnered acclaim, earning numerous accolades and awards in Adelaide. In 2015, Brian was granted a full scholarship to the esteemed Purcell School in London, where he refined his craft under the guidance of Patsy Toh. His dedication and skill were further recognized with a British Government scholarship, which supported his musical pursuits. Currently based in Melbourne, Brian studied with Glenn Riddle, and is now pursuing his Master of Music (Performance) degree at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, under the mentorship of Konstantin Shamray.
Noah Oshiro began playing the cello when he was 3 years old. He completed his Bachelor of Music in Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Julian Smiles, Danny Yeadon and chamber music under Alice Waten in 2024.
In 2024, Noah was also part of the String Quartet Residency for Orvieto Musica Festival in Italy. Following this, Noah was part of the Schumann String Quartet residency in Germany at the Echo Arts Munich with the Elvina String Quartet.
As a soloist, he has most recently been awarded the National Fine Music Young Virtuoso Award for 2024. He has also performed the Dvorak Cello Concerto at the Sydney Town Hall, Joan Sutherland Theatre and the Victor Herbert Cello Concerto with the NSSO. He has also given recitals of his own solo cello unaccompanied works for the Orange Chamber Music Festival, Canberra and in Sydney. Chamber music collaborations include Daniel Rojas and Ensemble Apex String Quartet for Musica Viva, Septet Concert with St Martin’s in the Fields Orchestra members at the Opera House and Brodsky Quartet in the UTZON room series at the Opera House.
In 2022, Noah was part of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as part of the fellowship program and the Opera Australia Orchestra for 2023 as a Fellow and continues to play with the OA orchestra.
Born in China, Dindin Jingyi Wang began playing the violin at the age of 3. She was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at age 15, where she currently studies with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pamela Frank. Previously, she held the Kohl Scholarship at the Colburn Music Academy in Los Angeles and also studied in Melbourne, Australia. Her previous teachers include Margaret Batjer, Ida Kavafian, and Fintan Murphy. At the age of 12, she became the youngest ever winner of the Australian Kendall National Violin Competition. More recently, she was awarded Second Prize at the 2022 Chicago International Violin Competition, and Third Prize at the 2024 New York Classic Violin Competition, where she was the youngest participant. In 2025, she was the winner of the Australian Dorcas McClean Traveling Scholarship.
Maria Zhdanovich is a sonic artist, collaborator, chamber musician and classically trained flutist currently completing her third year at the Australian National Academy of Music with Alison Mitchell. Throughout her studies, she has won multiple awards, including the Adelaide Eisteddfod Concerto Competition and 5MBS Young Virtuoso Award. In 2021, she was honored to be nominated for the Freedman Fellowship while completing a Bachelor of Music Performance Advanced at Elder Conservatorium. Maria has vast performance experience ranging from orchestral work across Australia and New Zealand, to performing in experimental jazz fusion outfits. As a musician she is passionate about curating evocative concert experiences that interweave western art music tradition with 21st century Australian composition and high-level improvisation.