Music Young local violinist awarded in int’l competition

Sophia Feinga Su

Young Macau violinist Sophia Feinga Su recently won the third prize in the ‘8th International Louis Spohr Competition for Young Violinists,’ making her the first young local musician to receive an award in an international competition in a category other than piano.

15-year old Su is currently studying in the Juilliard School in the United States, with a scholarship from the Cultural Affairs Bureau.

Seven musicians from the Juilliard School participated in the competition, but only Su was selected for the finals and was awarded the third prize in the Category II (for those born between 1999 and 2001).

The ‘International Louis Spohr Competition for Young Violinists,’ which takes place in Germany, is an international competition for young musicians held every three years. Over 100 young musicians from 24 countries and regions participated in the competition.

According to a statement issued by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Su was encouraged by her mother to learn piano at the age of three before she studied violin with her father.

In 2006, she participated in the ‘24th Macao Young Musicians Competition,’ in which she won first prize in the Violin Elementary Solo category.

She was then admitted at the Macau Conservatory School of Music of the Cultural Affairs Bureau.

In 2008, at the age of six, she was the youngest winner of the Cultural Affairs Bureau Prize in the ‘Macao Young Musicians Competition.’

In 2012, Su participated and won the first prize in the ‘Yundi Macao Young Musicians Competition,’ being hailed as a “genius violinist from Macau” by the press.

Su has extensive performance experience and has given solo concerts at the Juilliard School in the past two years. With the support of the local government, the young violinist gave a solo concert at the variety show for the 10th anniversary of the region’s handover to China.

Last year, in cooperation with the Macau Orchestra, she participated in the Linz Bruckner Festival 2015 in Europe and performed for the first time in the concert for Macau resident musicians “Bravo Macao!” that was integrated into the Macau International Music Festival.

Su has also taken part in several concerts in cooperation with the Macau Orchestra and the Macau Chinese Orchestra.