DORETTA BALKIZAS
Doretta was only 10 years old in 2001 when she was won a $1000 scholarship competing against open aged violinists and adjudicated by the English violinist, Robert Masters. She has been a finalist in several violin competitions and invited to participate in a recital programme as part of the Australian National Youth Orchestra competition. She recently performed the 2nd movement of the Brahms Violin Concerto in the Sydney Opera House concert hall.

Just after 2007 KNVC finals Doretta travelled to Europe (Vienna, Budapest, Prague. France)
to perform in a series of concerts with the MLC Chamber orchestra and choir. She had master-classes in the Konservatorium Wien (in Vienna) and in the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. She performed the second movement of the Ross Edwards Violin Concerto, accompanied by the MLC Chamber Orchestra. She also performed the Sarabande from Partita no.2 by J.S Bachs' Sonatas & Partitas.
Updated November 2007

JONATHON MUI (winner)
Jonathon, at 15, has performed in masterclasses at the Shanghai Conservatorium of Music, been the recipient of a scholarship to the seven-week Meadowmount Summer School of Music in the USA with Professor Charles Avsharian and has performed in China with both the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra and the Nanning Conservatorium of Music Orchestra.

Following the 2007 Kendall National Violin Competition, Jonathon won the Queensland Youth Concerto competition, performing with Graham's violin. He has decided to make use of his travel scholarship at the end of 2007 and will go to London in December to study with Prof. Hu Kun for a week. He is a professor at the Royal College of Music there.
November 2007

SONJA SCHEBECK
Sonja began pretending to play the violin after attending a baby prom at the Opera House. After many months, her parents relented and she started lessons with the Suzuki method. Since then she has toured Europe with the Suzuki String Orchestra, been co-leader of the NSW Public Schools Symphony Orchestra, played in the Schools Spectacular, received her Amus.A (1999) and Lmus.A (2000) with distinctions, won the junior and multiple sections of the Kuring-gai Philharmonic Orchetsra concerto competition, attended the 2005 International Summer School in Pilsen. She has road-tripped with a quartet to Mudgee (2005) and Bega(2005, 2006, 2007) and participated in the Conservatorium South Coast Tour (2005) to play and teach.

In 2006 and 2007 Sonja was a finalist in the Nelson Meers Outstanding Instrumentalist Awards, the Musica Viva Chamber Music Awards and the Kendall National Violin Competition. In 2008 she was awarded first place in the Marcus Edwards Violin Prize and will represent the Sydney Conservatorium at the Beijing Musicathlon in July in the lead up to the 2008 Olympics. She has performed as a casual member with the Sydney Symphony and is a current member of the Sydney Symphony Sinfonia, The Eastern Bloc folk string quartet, bands Saving Grace and Wicked Miranda, and musical circus-stunt act Strings on Fire. In 2008 Sonja will be touring around Australia as part of the Ilythian Ensemble, with composer Chloe Charody and pianist Ambre Hammond.
Updated June 2008