Artscape National Youth Music Competition

[phillips]

After an exciting and challenging week of elimination rounds where 29 contestants between the ages of 14 and 19 from around South Africa competed in the Artscape National Youth Music Competition https://www.competition.artscape.co.za for classical pianists and orchestral instrumentalists, Melissa Tu (17) from Cape Town was declared the Overall Winner. Melissa also won the Piano Category Prize and the Yaltah Menuhin Award for the Best Pianist https://www.yaltahmenuhin.com/Yaltah%20Menuhin%20Award.html.

Melissa was born in New Zealand. At age 5, she moved to Johannesburg with her parents and there studied piano with Pauline Nossel and violin with Professor Walter Mony. She won a number of prizes at the Johannesburg Music Festival, including best all-round pianist and best concerto performance. When Melissa was 11, she moved back to their hometown of Taipei, Taiwan, where she continued her piano lessons with a Miss Lee. She currently resides in Cape Town where she attends the American International School. Melissa studies piano with Professor Francois du Toit and violin with Professor Farida Bacharova, both of the South African College of Music.

The Gala evening took place on Saturday 9 October 2010 in the Artscape Theatre. The final round contestants performed with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Victor Yampolsky and their performance with the orchestra as well as their recital in the third round were taken into consideration for the judging.