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Enid Tsui

A Hong Kong violinist has won one of the most prestigious international competitions for young soloists, the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in Germany. Angela Sin Ying Chan is the first winner from Hong Kong in the event’s history.
Chan, 27, was named joint winner with Canada’s Jacques Forestier on September 28 after five rounds of gruelling competition which began on September 16 with 24 shortlisted contestants from all over the world.
Founded in 1991, the competition is in its 12th edition and held every three years in the city of Hanover by the Arts Foundation of Lower Saxony.
It is open to violinists up to the age of 33 and past winners include Ning Feng, a Chinese soloist with a large following in Hong Kong who took third prize in 2003 and was a judge for this year’s contest, and Robert Chen, concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.












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For the final on Saturday, Chan played a compulsory piece, Feder, by German composer Enno Poppe and Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D major accompanied by the NDR Radio Philharmonic.
Chan told the Post: “I am not that young as a musician any more and I really wanted to do my best. I wanted this to be a worthwhile experience for me and it was. I really learned a lot.
“Compared with other competitions I have been in, this competition demands a large and broad repertoire. Mentally, it was also very intense.
“Usually, with other competitions, finalists have a few days to prepare. But here, it all happened really fast. I felt I was really in the moment.”












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Trey Lee, the cellist and founder of Musicus Society, said: “I am extremely proud of Angela’s tremendous achievement.
“Her musicianship and artistry have always stood out, and I am extremely pleased to see that the international jury at the Joachim Competition has recognised this.
“She’s truly a wonderful example for other young Hong Kong music talents.”
On November 23, Chan will perform as a member of Musicus Soloists Hong Kong in a concert titled: Cello and Ondes Martenot.
Angela possesses the traits necessary to become a top-tier musician
Violinist and conductor Leung Kin-fung
Violinist and conductor Leung Kin-fung, first associate concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, said: “I first noticed Angela’s exceptional talent in music almost seven years ago.
“Her understanding of music is very unique and profound. She incorporates her distinctive personality into her performances, making them personalised and expressive while still capturing the style and emotions of the composers.
“Such qualities are crucial in today’s music scene, especially for young performers, and Angela possesses the traits necessary to become a top-tier musician.”

Chan was born in 1997 and started playing the violin at the age of three under the tutelage of her mother, Monica Chu Ang, a professional violinist in Hong Kong and violin teacher.
When she was five, she enrolled in the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts to study under Professor Michael Ma.
When she turned 12, her mother explained to her she would need to study abroad if she wanted to become a professional soloist because the Hong Kong secondary school system would not leave enough time for serious musical pursuit.
“I thought about it for a week and said I’d like to give it a go. So I moved to Beijing to study violin with Vera Tsu Weiling and enrolled in the Middle School affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music,” Chan told the Post.
“All my classmates were musicians and it was so inspiring. That was when I began to really enjoy practising.”












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At age 16, she was accepted by the Curtis Institute of Music in the United States. She later completed a master’s degree at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
Chan added: “I made a major move recently to Brussels, where I am now an artist-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.
“I have lived in Asia and the US, so I want to spend some time in Europe. I still have a home in New York and I visit Hong Kong at least twice a year because my family are all there.”
A seasoned participant in international competitions, Chan’s previous awards include winning the second prize in the new ArsClassica International Competition in 2023, the first prize in her age category in the 2016 International Louis Spohr Competition and third prize in the 2022 Singapore International Violin Competition.


She has appeared with orchestras including The Staatskapelle Weimar Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra and Hong Kong Symphonia. She is a founding member of the award-winning AYA Piano Trio, formed in 2013, which won first prize in the WDAV Young Chamber Musicians’ Competition and the Yellow Springs Competition.
Chan’s fellow winner Forestier is 19 years old and has been studying at the Curtis Institute of Music since 2022. For his final performance he chose to play Antonín Dvořák’s Violin Concerto in A minor.
They share the winners’ prize of €30,000 (US$33,500) and each gets €10,000 for being a finalist. Chan also wins €5,000 for the best performance of the commissioned work by Poppe.


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Hong Kong-born violinist Angela Chan performs during the semi-final of the  Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in Hanover, Germany. On September 28, Chan became the first violinist from Hong Kong to win the prestigious competition, sharing the top prize with Canadian Jacques Forestier.  Photo: Helge Krückeberg

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‘I felt I was really in the moment,’ Angela Chan says of her prize-winning performance at the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in Germany


‘I felt I was really in the moment,’ Angela Chan says of her prize-winning performance at the Joseph Joachim Violin Competition in Germany.


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