Past Winners
Starting in 1981, an award for the most 'Outstanding Competitor' was introduced which included engagements with ABC orchestras and continues today with the Grand Final in which the winners of the Stage III category finals compete for the title of ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year. From 1981, this outstanding individual is marked with an asterisk (*)
2000 - | ||||
| 2008 | Maxwell Foster* | piano | QLD | |
| Rebecca Chan | violin | VIC | ||
| Jessica Foot | oboe | VIC | ||
| 2007 | Shaun Lee-Chen* | violin | WA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Kopp | piano | NSW | ||
| Tristram Williams | trumpet | VIC | ||
| 2006 | Cameron Hill* | violin | VIC | |
| Brieley Cutting | piano | QLD | ||
| Shefali Pryor | oboe | NSW | ||
| 2005 | Suyeon Kang* | violin | VIC | |
| Oliver Le Meng She | piano | QLD | ||
| Mark Gaydon | bassoon | SA | ||
| 2004 | Chen Gu | violin | NSW | Winner of the Nelly Apt Scholarship |
| Edward Neeman | piano | ACT | Winner of the David Paul Landa scholarship | |
| Amy Dickson* | saxophone | NSW | ||
| 2003 | Olivia Sham | piano | NSW | |
| Nicole Vasilakis | violin | NSW | Winner of the Nelly Apt Scholarship | |
| Richard Haynes* | clarinet | QLD | ||
| 2002 | Kristian Winther | violin | ACT | Winner of the Nelly Apt Scholarship |
| Jamie Adam | marimba | SA | ||
| David Fung* | piano | NSW | ||
| 2001 | Pei-Jee Ng* | cello | QLD | Winner of the Nelly Apt Scholarship and the Paul & Helena Haas Scholarship |
| Kristian Chong | piano | VIC | ||
| Emma Scholl | flute | NSW | ||
| Caitlin Hulcup | mezzo-soprano | WA | ||
| 2000 | Sophie Rowell* | violin | NSW | Winner of the Nelly Apt Scholarship |
| Kim Grace | piano | NSW | ||
| Meg Sterling | flute | ACT | ||
1990 - 1999 | ||||
| 1990 | Clemens Leske, Jnr* | piano | SA | |
| Andrew Collis | bass-baritone | QLD | ||
| Anna McMichael | violin | SA | ||
| Markus Lutz | percussion | QLD | ||
| 1991 | Tamara-Anna Cislowska* | piano | NSW | |
| Kathryn McCuster | soprano | WA | ||
| Zoë Black | violin | VIC | ||
| 1992 | Natalie Chee* | violin | NSW | |
| Caroline Almonte | piano | VIC | ||
| Steve Rossé | tuba | NSW | ||
| Lisa Brown | soprano | WA | ||
| 1993 | Liwei Qin* | cello | VIC | |
| Rebecca Chambers | piano | VIC | ||
| Sarah Warner | bassoon | WA | ||
| Emma Lysons | soprano | WA | ||
| 1994 | Elowyn Leonard* | clarinet | ACT | |
| Sally Cooper | violin | SA | ||
| Fiona Campbell | mezzo-soprano | WA | ||
| Margot Lee | bassoon | SA | ||
| Shan Deng | piano | QLD | ||
| 1995 | Alison Eddington* | percussion | NSW | |
| Leanne Kenneally | soprano | QLD | ||
| David Tong | piano | VIC | ||
| Sally Cooper | violin | SA | ||
| 1996 | Andrew Day* | flute | VIC | |
| Lachlan Redd | piano | ACT | ||
| Catherine Carby | mezzo-soprano | VIC | ||
| Susie Park | violin | NSW | Winner of the Nelly Apt Scholarship | |
| 1997 | Philip Arkinstall* | clarinet | NSW | |
| Kirsten Le Strange | violin | NSW | Winner of the Nelly Apt Scholarship | |
| Alexandra Sherman | mezzo-soprano | VIC | ||
| Fabian Russell | tuba | VIC | ||
| Lance Coburn | piano | QLD | ||
| 1998 | Simon Tedeschi* | piano | NSW | |
| Sarita Kwok | violin | NSW | Winner of the Nelly Apt Scholarship | |
| Nicole King | bassoon | VIC | ||
| Caroline Chown | soprano | QLD | ||
| 1999 | Claire Edwardes* | percussion | NSW | |
| Andrea Lam | piano | NSW | ||
| Göknur Ray | soprano | NSW | ||
| Alexandra Osborne | violin | NSW | Winner of the Nelly Apt Scholarship | |
1980 - 1989 | ||||
| 1980 | Sue-Ellen Paulsen | cello | QLD | |
| Stephen Emmerson | piano | QLD | ||
| Claire Primrose | soprano | VIC | ||
| Michael Mulcahy | trombone | VIC | ||
| 1981 | Award for most outstanding competitor introduced. (marked with *) | |||
| Jolanta Nagajek* | mezzo-soprano | WA | ||
| John White | marimba | SA | ||
| Brett Dean | viola | QLD | ||
| Robert Zocchi | piano | ACT | ||
| 1982 | Ian Munro* | piano | VIC | |
| Ivan James | cello | NSW | ||
| Geoffrey Payne | trumpet | VIC | ||
| 1983 | Joan Qiong Shih* | violin | TAS | |
| Margaret Schindler | soprano | QLD | ||
| Deborah de Graaff | clarinet | NSW | ||
| Paul Ford | piano | VIC | ||
| 1984 | Adele Anthony* | violin | SA | |
| Susan Dunn | soprano | QLD | ||
| Katrina Brown | piano | SA | ||
| Warwick Tyrrell | trombone | NSW | ||
| 1985 | Diana Doherty* | oboe | VIC | |
| Cameron Retchford | cello | QLD | ||
| Yasuko Toba | piano | WA | ||
| Miriam Gormley | soprano | QLD | ||
| 1986 | Name changed to ABC Young Performers' Competition. State finals converted to four category finals. Young Performer of the Year receives extra cash and minimum of three concert performance with ABC orchestras . | |||
| Alison Lazaroff* | violin | NSW | ||
| Philip Mayers | piano | QLD | ||
| Anna Connolly | soprano | QLD | ||
| Frances Barzyk | tuba | VIC | ||
| 1987 | Name changes to ABC Young Performers Award. | |||
| Bernadette Harvey* | piano | NSW | ||
| Karen Robertson | mezzo-soprano | VIC | ||
| Amanda Parsons | horn | WA | ||
| Patricia Ayling | cello | NSW | ||
| 1988 | Virginia Taylor* | flute | ACT | |
| Julian Smiles | cello | ACT | ||
| Yanghee Kim | piano | NSW | ||
| Ian Vayne | bass-baritone | QLD | ||
| 1989 | Melissa Barnard | cello | NSW | |
| Antony Chesterman* | oboe | NSW | ||
| Louise Page | soprana | ACT | ||
| Duncan Gifford* | piano | NSW | ||
1970 - 1979 | ||||
| 1970 | Julie Raines | harp | VIC | |
| Anthony Newcombe | piano | SA | ||
| 1971 | Ormsby Wilkins | piano | VIC | |
| Rodney Lowe | trumpet | VIC | ||
| Margot Wall | soprano | VIC | ||
| 1972 | Rosalie Myers | piano | WA | |
| Andrew Peter Bowman | male alto | QLD | ||
| Keith Crellin | viola | TAS | ||
| 1973 | Renate Turrini | piano | SA | |
| Jeffrey Crellin | oboe | SA | ||
| Jonathan Summers | baritone | VIC | ||
| 1974 | Virginia Inkratas | piano | NSW | |
| Wendy Verco | mezzo-soprano | NSW | ||
| Michele Walsh | violin | SA | ||
| 1975 | Lesley Young | piano | QLD | |
| Graham Godfrey | tenor | QLD | ||
| Alan Vivian | clarinet | VIC | ||
| 1976 | Anthony Halliday | piano | VIC | |
| Rosamund Illing | soprano | SA | ||
| Peta Lowe | violin | SA | ||
| 1977 | Robyn Cantle | soprano | NSW | |
| Jenni Flemming | piano | QLD | ||
| Susan Blake | cello | NSW | ||
| 1978 | Four categories introduced (Vocal, Orchestral Strings, Keyboard, Other Instrumental). | |||
| Amelia Fonte | mezzo-soprano | QLD | ||
| Laurien Kennedy | cello | VIC | ||
| Victor Sangiorgio | piano | VIC | ||
| Peter Veale | oboe | SA | ||
| 1979 | Keith Birchley | piano | QLD | |
| Liza Cheshire | flute | NSW | ||
| Adele Nisbet | soprano | QLD | ||
| Howard Penny | cello | ACT | ||
1960 - 1969 | ||||
| 1960 | Nance Grant | soprano | VIC | |
| Stephen McIntyre | piano | VIC | ||
| 1961 | Ruth Gurner | soprano | SA | |
| Rodney Sigston | piano | VIC | ||
| Michael Wentzell | organ | VIC | ||
| 1962 | Charmian Gadd | violin | NSW | |
| Janet Gare | piano | TAS | ||
| Janice Hearne | soprano | SA | ||
| 1963 | Althea Bridges | soprano | NSW | |
| Phillip Miechel | clarinet | VIC | ||
| Geoffrey Madge | piano | SA | ||
| Kerry Smith | violin | QLD | ||
| 1964 | Roger Woodward | piano | NSW | |
| Brian Hanly | violin | WA | ||
| Paul Curtis | flute | NSW | ||
| Elizabeth Tippett | mezzo-soprano | VIC | ||
| 1965 | Pamela Bryce | violin | QLD | |
| Vernon Hill | flute | QLD | ||
| Janet Lasscock | soprano | SA | ||
| Elizabeth Leslie | piano | NSW | ||
| 1966 | Margaret Crawford | flute | SA | |
| Janice Taylor | soprano | VIC | ||
| Elizabeth Drake | piano | VIC | ||
| 1967 | Robert Davidovici | violin | NSW | |
| Thomas Ungar | piano | NSW | ||
| Glenys Fowles | soprano | WA | ||
| Ian Morgan | clarinet | VIC | ||
| 1968 | Preliminary recital stage introduced. Instrumental categories divided into Keyboard and ‘Other’. Name changed to Instrumental and Vocal competition. | |||
| Nathan Waks | cello | NSW | ||
| James Whitbread | baritone | VIC | ||
| Tom Pommerel | piano | QLD | ||
| 1969 | Margaret Garrett | soprano | NSW | |
| Tanya Hunt | cello | VIC | ||
| Gustave Fenyö | piano | NSW | ||
1944 - 1959 | ||||
| 1944 | An annual state based competition was organised. | |||
| Richard Farrell | piano | NSW | ||
| Audrey White | piano | SA | ||
| Betty Munro George | piano | WA | ||
| 1945 | No winner selected | |||
| 1946 | Beryl Kimber | violin | NSW | British Council Scholarship winner |
| Manfred Clynes | piano | VIC | Juilliard Scholarship winner | |
| Sybil Willey | contralto | QLD | Juilliard Scholarship winner | |
| 1947 | Dallas Haslam | piano | VIC | Juilliard Scholarship winner |
| 1948 | Frances Moran | piano | WA | Juilliard Scholarship winner |
| Laurence Davis | piano | NSW | ||
| Norma Cornelius | soprano | QLD | ||
| Berenice Lehmann | piano | SA | ||
| 1949 | Commonwealth Finals first held | |||
| Donald Weekes | violin | VIC | Commonwealth winner | |
| Ronald Jackson | bass | NSW | ||
| Helen McKinnon | contralto | QLD | ||
| Sylvia Biddle | soprano | QLD | ||
| Pamela Main | piano | SA | ||
| Pamela Flower | soprano | WA | ||
| Lyall Duke | piano | TAS | ||
| 1950 | Awards inaugurated for singers and instrumentalists. Name changed to ABC Concerto and Vocal Competition | |||
| Ronald Price | piano | VIC | Commonwealth winner | |
| Enid Strong | piano | NSW | ||
| Trevor Lewis | baritone | NSW | ||
| Leslie Miers | piano | VIC | ||
| Kevin Miller | tenor | SA | ||
| Elise Longwill | soprano | WA | ||
| 1951 | Kevin Miller | tenor | SA | |
| Audrey White | piano | SA | ||
| 1952 | Marjorie Conley | soprano | NSW | |
| Max Olding | piano | VIC | ||
| 1953 | Lynette Kierce | soprano | VIC | |
| Donald Westlake | clarinet | VIC | ||
| 1954 | Donald Thornton | piano | WA | |
| Patricia Wyatt | soprano | WA | ||
| 1955 | Neil Warren-Smith | bass-baritone | VIC | |
| Barbara Hoad | clarinet | QLD | ||
| 1956 | Russell Cooper | bass-baritone | NSW | |
| Janette Hamilton | piano | NSW | ||
| 1957 | Patricia Connop | soprano | WA | |
| Stanley Ritchie | violin | NSW | ||
| 1958 | Lynette Howieson | soprano | WA | |
| Geoffrey Michaels | violin | WA | ||
| 1959 | Gloria McDonall | soprano | VIC | |
| Irene Pang | piano | NSW | ||