The death of Sir Michael Hill, the jeweller behind the international retail brand that bears his name, is also a loss to the world of music.

After nursing hopes of becoming a violinist in his teenage years (he left school at 16 to but failed to win the coveted New Zealand Herald violin competition a year later), Hill went into the family business but never relinquished his love of music. He became a noted supporter of emerging musicians and, in 2001, founded the Michael Hill International Violin Competition, a biennial contest for players aged 18 – 28, held in Queenstown and Auckland.

With a total prize pool of NZ$100,000 – alongside recording contracts and a concert tour for the winner – the competition reflected Hill’s belief that music had the power to enrich society and change lives.

Michael Hill (1938–2025)

Taiwanese-American violinist Joseph Lin was the inaugural winner. Violinists to win the Prize since are the Russian player Natalia Lomeiko (2003), China’s Feng Ning (2003), Bulgaria’s Bella Hristova (2007), the Czech Republic’s Josef Špaček (2009), Russian Sergey Malov (2011), Canada’s Nikki Chooi (2013) and the Korean-Australian violinist Suyeon Kang (2015).

Romania’s Ioana Cristina Goicea (2017), Korea’s...