After two days of intense competition in the Semi-Finals of the 2018 ABC Young Performers Awards, three outstanding musicians have been chosen to progress to the Finals next week: pianist Kevin Chow, violinist Emily Sun and clarinettist Oliver Shermacher. The three performers will each play a concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Nicholas Milton at the Sydney Opera House on July 24, competing for a grand prize worth $80,000.

ABC YPA Artistic Advisor and Sydney Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Emeritus Dene Olding, who led the team of adjudicators, described the competition as “one of the most difficult I’ve had to judge” when he announced the Finalists following the sixth Semi-Finals Recital at City Recital Hall last night.

2018 ABC Young Performers Awards Finalists Kevin Chow, Emily Sun and Oliver Shermacher. Photo © Tom Truong

The announcement of the Finalists marks the culmination of a marathon 48 hours of competition, which saw impressive performances across the board. Kevin Chow, who stepped up into the Semi-Finals following the withdrawal of violinist Anna Da Silva Chen due to an injury, gave a robust performance of wide-ranging repertoire, from the curtain-opening first movement of Beethoven’s...