While touring with ACO, Jennen Ngiau-Keng established a successful shoe company. Now he wants to give back to the music industry.

Jennen Ngiau-Keng, an entrepreneur and violinist from Melbourne, has established a new violin competition, with the encouragement and support of many of Melbourne’s leading violinists. The early rounds will take place online, and the semi-finals and final will be held in Melbourne in October 2018.

The 2018 Melbourne Violin Competition is sponsored by Ngiau-Keng’s company JENNEN shoes. Open to all ages, the competition is centred on Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas. The winner will take home a cash prize of $5000, while the other two finalists will receive $1000.

Jennen Ngiau-Keng. Photograph supplied

“Music competitions were integral to my personal and musical development. From the age of six, my mother entered me into all of Melbourne’s music eisteddfods on both violin and piano. As a result of competing in hundreds of eisteddfods and competitions, I became comfortable with performing on stage. The experience also boosted my confidence in all areas of my life,” says Ngiau-Keng.

From 2002 to 2005, he studied at the Australian National Academy of Music and won several...