Josephine Chung successful at the Markneukirchen Instrumental Competition
The 26-year-old Australian violinist and master's student Josephine Chung from Suyeon Kang's class won 2nd prize and the Max Reger Prize at the 60th Markneukirchen International Instrumental Competition. The 2nd prize, which comes with prize money of €5,000, was donated by the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony, while the Max Reger Special Prize of €1,000 was donated by the Max Reger Institute in Karlsruhe for the best interpretation of Max Reger's Prelude and Fugue in D minor op. 117 no. 6 for solo violin. The competition took place from 8 to 17 May 2025 in Markneukirchen in the Vogtland region of Saxony and was dedicated to the violin and viola this year. Since its foundation in 1966, the competition has been held annually, alternating between string and wind instruments.
Josephine Chung was born in Sydney and received her musical training at the Curtis Institute of Music with Pamela Frank and Arnold Steinhardt and at the Australian National Academy of Music with Robin Wilson until she moved to the Eisler in 2024. From 2021 to 2024 she was primaria of the Affinity Quartet, which studied under the direction of Günter Pichler at the Reina Sofía School of Music. With the quartet, she won numerous prizes at international competitions, including first prize at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in 2023. In addition to her chamber music activities, Josephine Chung was Emerging Artist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Academician of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Her solo career began early - she made her debut as a soloist at the age of eleven and has since performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, among others.