2026 National finalists
Bernice Chua is an awardwinning Australian pianist and international competition prizewinner. She was the 2015 ACT Young Virtuoso of the Year, a finalist in the National Award, and a prizewinner in major Australian eisteddfods. She placed 5th in the 2022 WPTA Spain Competition, and received the Ian Potter Emerging Artist Grant (2024), the AMF Nora Goodridge Young Artist Award (2024) and AMF Trustee’s Award (2025). Bernice studied with Dr. Bernadette Harvey before entering the Mozarteum University Salzburg at the age of 15 under Andreas Weber, completing her BA in 2023. She holds an MA in Chamber Music (2025) with Connie Shih and Donald Sulzen, and is completing an MA in Solo Piano with Jacques Rouvier. She performs widely across Europe, Australia and Asia, active as both a soloist and chamber musician, including with the Alpenrose Trio, the Morphing Chamber Orchestra.
Josephine Daniel is currently training at the Australian National Academy of Music with David Thomas, Principal Clarinetist of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She received her Bachelor of Music from the Queensland Conservatorium, where she studied with renowned clarinetist and composer, Paul Dean and Principal Clarinetist of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Irit Silver.
After a successful audition into the Sibelius Academy’s exchange program, Josephine spent a semester in Finland studying with internationally esteemed clarinetists Harri Mäki, Fàtima Boix Cantó, and Christoffer Sundqvist. She has received masterclasses from multiple world class clarinetists, including Andrew Marriner, Michael Collins, Tuulia Ylönen and Yehuda Gilad at the XVI International Clarinet Seminar in Spain. As a soloist, Josephine has appeared with the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra and Indooroopilly Chamber Orchestra. She received the prestigious Milan Kanter prize in the 2025 Great Romantics competition, competing in the Elizabeth Murdoch Hall in the Melbourne Recital Centre. She was also awarded Third Place in the 2022 Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition as well as “Most Promising Woodwind and Brass Player”. As an orchestral musician, she has performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra on numerous occasions and the Auckland Philharmonia. She has performed regularly and toured internationally with the Australian Youth Orchestra and Queensland Youth Symphony, performing in prestigious venues such as the Musikverein, Concertgebouw, and Sydney Opera House. A dedicated chamber musician, she has worked with Ensemble Q, Elision, and the Australian String Quartet.
Born in 2002, Australian violinist Liam Freisberg was the winner of the 2024 Australian National Academy Ursula Hoff Award and Ronald Clifford Davis Violin Competition. At the age of three, Liam began learning the violin with his mother and debuted with the Redlands Sinfonia Orchestra at age 12, performing Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole. In 2024, Liam was selected as an Emerging Artist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and toured Australia with the ACO Collective alongside his mentor Aiko Goto.
Liam is a prizewinner of the Australian Youth Classical Music Competition, a two-time finalist of the Melbourne Recital Centre Great Romantics competition, and a finalist in the 2025 Ruggiero Ricci Competition in Salzburg. In 2023, Liam was awarded the ANAM Chamber Music Prize, and in the following year, the ANAM Best Performance of a Classical Work award. Liam has also worked closely with composers such as Brisbane- based Lisa Cheney, to perform world-premieres of new music.
After obtaining his Bachelor of Music from the Queensland Conservatorium, Liam studied at ANAM with Dr. Robin Wilson, Sophie Rowell, and Adam Chalabi, and he is currently studying at the Mozarteum University Salzburg, with Swissviolinist Esther Hoppe. Liam has received masterclasses from world- renowned musicians such as Jakub Jakowicz, Alban Gerhardt, and Emily Sun.
As a passionate chamber musician, Liam has performed alongside members of the Australian String Quartet and Sutherland Trio, and with Paavali Jumppanen, Andrey Gugnin, Anthony Marwood, Helena Rathbone, Aiko Goto, Caroline Henbest, and Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster David Kim.
Winner of the 2024 Australian National Piano Award, Joshua Han has been praised for “complete mastery of his instrument and complete empathy with the music” (Sydney Arts Guide). He has performed across four continents, including concertos with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra and Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, with conductors including Benjamin Northey, Ken Takaseki and Daejin Kim. In April 2026, Joshua stepped in at short notice for Alexander Gavrylyuk to perform Strauss’ Burleske with The Orchestra Project and Fabian Russell. His 2025–26 season includes concertos with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Harbour Ensemble, and recitals at ACO On The Pier and Albury Chamber Music Festival. Joshua’s international successes include First Prizes at the International Piano Competition J.S. Bach; Aarhus International Piano Competition; and Ettlingen International Piano Competition. As the Australian National Piano Award winner, Joshua also received Audience Prize and awards for interpreting Bach, Chopin and Beethoven. Born in 2002, Joshua began piano studies aged four and received his Licentiate Diploma (LMusA) aged ten. He is undertaking a Master of Music Studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under Paul Rickard-Ford, supported by the Theme and Variations Foundation, Cope-Williams Arts Foundation and Ian Potter Cultural Trust.
Ein Na is a 17-year-old violinist from Brisbane, Australia, currently studying under the guidance of Natsuko Yoshimoto. She has established herself as a compelling young artist, performing as a soloist with orchestras including the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra.
Ein made her concerto debut at the age of nine with the Queensland Korean Orchestra, and soon after toured Europe as a soloist with the Tagiev Chamber Orchestra and received first prize at the Brisbane International Youth Music Competition. Her early success includes winning the John Curro National Youth Concerto Competition, the Kendall National Violin Competition - where she was awarded a concert violin crafted from Australian wood - and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Young Instrumentalist Prize. Representing 4MBS Classic FM, she was also named the Australian Fine Music Network’s National Young Virtuoso of the Year.
Alongside her solo work, Ein is a dedicated chamber musician. Her string quartet, The IncrediBows, won first prize in the 2025 Musica Viva Strike A Chord National Chamber Music Competition. She has appeared at the Tyalgum Music Festival and performed with the Australian Youth Orchestra on their 2025 International Tour.
Internationally, she was an award winner at the Hengqin International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians. Ein has participated in the Heifetz International Music Institute Summer Program and has worked in masterclasses with leading artists including Maxim Vengerov and Dr Robin Wilson. She previously studied with the late Spiros Rantos.
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.
Freya Parr is a clarinettist from Melbourne, currently in the final year of her Honours Degree in Music Performance at the University of Melbourne, studying with David Thomas. Prior to this, she completed a double degree in Music and Arts at Monash University, where she learned from Dr Nicole Canham. Freya has also studied with Jon Craven and Robert Schubert. Freya has played with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria, and recently toured with the Australian Youth Orchestra through Germany, Austria, and The Netherlands. Freya is also a passionate chamber musician, and enjoys playing with reed quintet Reeds Bending and clarinet, violin and piano trio Ellipsis. In 2024 Freya was the winner of the Monash University Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music Concerto Competition. In 2025 and 2026 she performed clarinet concertos by Mozart and Weber with the Monash Academy Orchestra and Melbourne Youth Orchestra.
Justin Wang is an emerging Australian clarinettist building a multifaceted career as a soloist, orchestral musician and chamber player. A recent graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he studied with Frank Celata, he is the 2026 Clarinet Fellow with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Justin has appeared at international festivals including the Brevard Music Center in the USA and toured Korea and Japan as Principal Clarinettist with the Conservatorium’s Wind Symphony. A committed chamber musician, he co-founded the Sydney-based Orpheus Quintet who have been selected as the 2026 Australian Festival of Chamber Music Fellowship Ensemble. Justin regularly performs with ensembles including the Australian Youth Orchestra, the Sydney Youth Orchestra and Ensemble Apex. He has also participated in masterclasses with renowned musicians including Michael Collins, Yehuda Gilad and Andreas Sundèn.