Dunedin Concerto Competition

22/04/2026

🎻 The Dunedin Concerto Competition returns in 2027
If you’re a young musician, this is your stage — and planning starts now.

With increased prize money, expanded eligibility, and more flexible repertoire, the 2027 competition offers a major opportunity to perform with orchestra.

📄 Full rules + details: www.dunedinconcerto.com

06/11/2025

🎶 Congratulations to cellist Portia Bell, runner-up in our 2025 Dunedin Concerto Competition, for being awarded the Dunedin Symphony Scholarship for Orchestral Performance! 🎻👏

Portia is a first-year student at the School of Performing Arts, University of Otago, and we’re delighted to see her talent and dedication recognised in this way.

Dunedin Symphony Orchestra

03/11/2025

🎶 Celebrating Young Talent! 🌞 We attended the 2025 Sunshine Concert, presented by the Classical Performance students of the School of Performing Arts, University of Otago, yesterday. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces — many of whom also took part in the 2025 Dunedin Concerto Competition.
✨ Congratulations to all the students, and in particular to Orla Dunlop (violin), Portia Bell (cello), and Roy Zhang (piano), who received the 2025 Sunshine Awards. We’re so proud that all three were competitors in this year’s Dunedin Concerto Competition! 👏🎻🎹

20/09/2025

✨ Congratulations to the Dunedin Youth Orchestra for their fantastic concert 'War and Peace' last night! It was heartening to see so many DYO players who also competed in the 2025 Dunedin Concerto Competition.

👏 Special congratulations to Callum Fotheringham for his exquisite oboe performance of Hummel’s 'Introduction, Theme and Variations, Op. 102'. Callum was also awarded the Best Woodwind Player Prize in the 2025 Concerto Competition.

🎶 Congratulations as well to Ben Walker and Dan Walker, recipients of the 2026 DYO Young Musicians Awards. Both were competitors in our 2025 Competition, with Ben also receiving the Best Brass Player Award at the Competition.

We’re so proud to see these young talents continue to shine! 🌟

18/09/2025

🎶 Congratulations to Ozan Biner-McGrath, winner of our 2025 Dunedin Concerto Competition, who performed with the Zealand Symphony Orchestra in their Emerging Artist Concert last night. 👏✨ What a great achievement and some truly awesome playing! We are proud of you Ozan!🌟🎻

17/09/2025

🎶 This afternoon’s University of Otago School of Performing Arts Lunchtime Concert at Hanover Hall was a real treat! The programme of ensemble and chamber music was beautifully performed, and it was so pleasing to see a number of student performers who were also competitors in the 2025 Dunedin Concerto Competition.

👏 Congratulations to all the talented musicians on a wonderful concert!

School of Performing Arts, University of Otago

16/09/2025

We are so proud of our 2025 Dunedin Concerto Competition winner, Ozan Biner-McGrath, who is performing today with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in their Emerging Artists concert in Wellington. 🎶👏 Go Ozan! 🌟 The concert will be live-streamed from 6.30pm. Click here: https://www.nzso.co.nz/plus/videos/emerging-artists-livestream-2025live

10/09/2025

🌟 Awesome news! Two of the Dunedin Concerto Competition 2025 finalists are stepping into the spotlight this weekend with the Nelson Symphony Orchestra. 🎶
🥇 Ozan Biner-McGrath – First Place
🥈 Portia Bell – Second Place
Both will perform as soloists in the Solo Spotlight concert in Nelson. What an achievement – way to go, Ozan and Portia! 👏👏

10/09/2025

🌟 Awesome news! Two of the Dunedin Concerto Competition 2025 finalists are stepping into the spotlight this weekend with the Nelson Symphony Orchestra. 🎶
🥇 Ozan Biner-McGrath – First Place
🥈 Portia Bell – Second Place
Both will perform as soloists in the Solo Spotlight concert in Nelson. What an achievement – way to go, Ozan and Portia! 👏👏

22/07/2025

🌟 The Dunedin Concerto Competition Dream Team! 🌟

Last night we held our final review meeting for the 2025 Dunedin Concerto Competition. We requested feedback from all stakeholders, and the outcome was an astounding success! This would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of our committee over more than a year.

We also said farewell to one of our founding members, Louise Drummond, and to her daughter Annabel Drummond, who joined us as Administrator for the 2025 Competition. Thank you, Louise and Annabel – we will miss you!

👏 Here’s to our committee:
🎶 Pieter du Plessis (Chair)
🎶 Louise Drummond
🎶 Annabel Drummond
🎶 Tom McGrath
🎶 Heleen du Plessis
🎶 Peter Adams
🎶 Andrew Hamilton
🎶Kirsten McAuley

We’re already getting ready for our first planning meeting in February 2026 for the 2027 Dunedin Concerto Competition!

This competition, with a budget of around $120K, would not be possible without the generous financial support of Bruce Hodgson of the HTowers Charitable Trust and the Bill and Clare Hodgson Bequest. Our deepest gratitude for making this opportunity possible for young musicians in Aotearoa.

✨ Let the music continue! ✨

11/07/2025

🌟 Great to see that the 2025 winner of the Dunedin Concerto Competition, Ozan Biner-McGrath, is one of the chosen soloists for the NZSO's Emerging Artists concert on 17 September in Wellington! 🎶👏

Way to go, Ozan! We’re so proud to see your talent shining on the national stage. 💙