Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition 2023 Announces Winners

Melbourne’s Affinity Quartet has won the event's top prizes alongside cash awards totaling $68,000

The Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition (MICMC) is a week-long international chamber music event featuring string quartets and piano trios, whose members are aged 37 and under. 

Melbourne’s Affinity Quartet has won the $30,000 grand prize, the $30,000 string quartet first prize, and the $8,000 audience prize. The group comprises violinists Josephine Chung and Nicholas Waters, violist Ruby Shirres, and cellist Mee Na Lojewski.

They have since performed celebratory concerts in Canberra’s Parliament House and in an event hosted by the Belgian ambassador Michel Goffin. Additionally, the quartet will participate in educational programs with young Australian musicians.

Second prize and $20,000 was awarded to the German-based Terra String Quartet. The third prize at $10,000, went to the American/South Korean Risus Quartet, which also received the $4,000 quartet commission prize.

For the piano trio division of the competition, the $22,500 first prize and $3,000 trio commission prize went to Trio Orelon. Second prize and $15,000 was awarded to Trio Pantoum, while the $7,500 third prize and audience prizes for piano trio went to Trio Bohémo.

The 2023 International jury comprised Kirsten Dawes, Lukas Hagen, Louise Hopkins, Hsin-Yun Huang, Amandine Savary, Timo-Veikko Valve, and Wilma Smith.

“It has been a real privilege for all of us in Melbourne to welcome 13 extraordinary trios and quartets to our competition this week,” said MVA artistic director of competitions and juror, Wilma Smith. “They have given us exhilarating and moving performances, reminding us of the unique and important role this wonderful event fills in the life of our city. 

“The support given to the groups by volunteer hosts, generous donors and by droves of passionate chamber music listeners — in the hall and around Australia and the world — gives MICMC a warm, extended-family feel which flows to the competitors too,” Smith continued.

“One of the dreams of MICMC's founders was that it would lead to Australian groups competing at an international standard in their home country,” added MVA’s CEO Anne Frankenberg. “It's wonderful to see this vision realized so powerfully, with the Affinity Quartet’s sensational performance of Schubert’s ‘Death and the Maiden’ on the stage of the Melbourne Recital Centre earning the coveted Monash University Grand Prize.”