Violin is one of the oldest stringed instruments in the history of music. Violinists come from all walks of life, with different reasons for playing: from a small child to composing music to living out their passions. Of course, there is a lot of competition in this musical field, so to stand out from the crowd, you need to be very good at what you do.
There are many young violinists in the world. They are talented to play music and also beautiful. You will find these young violinists in different nations. But which violinists are the youngest among them? This article will provide an overview of the youngest violinists in the world right now.
4. Hana Chang (August 11, 2002 – present)
Age: 20 years old
Nationality: American-Japanese
Birthplace: Lexington, Massachusetts, United States
Genre: Classical
photo source: Flickr
Hana Chang started studying the violin at the age of 4 and has since attended Harvard College and the Curtis Institute of Music. She is presently a student at the University of Music in Lausanne. At the age of 7, she performed solo for the NEC Chamber Orchestra for the first time.
She has received awards from contests including the International Louis Spohr Competition for Young Violinists, the Stradivarius International Violin Competition, the Prague Spring International Music Competition, the International Violin Competition of Stuttgart, and others. She has played with a variety of orchestras, including the Utah Symphony, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, the Czech Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Hunan Symphony Orchestra.
Did You Know?
She was a former Curtis Institute of Music student of Ida Kavafian and is now a student of Janine Jansen at the Haute École de Musique Valais-Wallis.
3. Hina Maeda (December 9, 2002 – present)
Age: 20 years old
Nationality: Japanese
Birthplace: Osaka, Japan
Genre: Classical
photo source: Carl Nielsen International Competition
As a special scholarship student, Hina Maeda is presently enrolled in the Tokyo College of Music High School. At the age of four, she began learning the violin. She has since studied under Atsuko Inoue, Etsuyo Maeda, Machie Oguri, Kouichiro Harada, and Mayuko Kamio. Since the age of 11, she has performed as a soloist with several orchestras in Japan, giving a number of recitals each year.
She won several prizes, including first place in the 16th Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition and second place as well as the audience award in the violin category of the 88th Music Competition of Japan, Kirishima International Music Festival Award. The 11th Carl Nielsen International Music Competition has also placed her in the semifinals.
Did You Know?
She succeeded in the Bonanza soloist audition for contestants who were eighteen years old or younger.
2. Christian Li (October 30, 2007 – present)
Age: 15 years old
Nationality: Australian
Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia
Genre: Classical
photo source: The Australian
Violinist Christian Li is from Australia. He won the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists in the Junior Category on April 20, 2018, at the age of 10, breaking the record for the youngest performer. At the age of five, he started learning the violin. At the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne, where Robin Wilson is the violin department head, he was a student of music as of 2020.
Li took home the top prize at the Golden Beijing violin competition in 2014. He won the Young Artist Semper Music International Competition in Italy’s violin division in 2015. Along with Singaporean Chloe Chua, he took home the junior award in the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists in 2018. He won the competition at the youngest age ever, 10 years old. He also took home the Junior Section Composer Award and Audience Prize.
Did You Know?
Christian Li and Jacky Cheung performed on the violin in a Chinese television commercial in June 2013, after Li had been studying the instrument for 8 months.
1. Yoeun Seol (February 28, 2012 – present)
Age: 10 years old
Nationality: South Korean
Birthplace: Suwon, South Korea
Genre: Classical
photo source: The National
A classical violinist named Yoeun Seol is the youngest violinist in the world. She has 80,000 subscribers to her Yoeun Seol YouTube channel. She uploads videos of both her solo and group performances. As she continues to learn, more and more videos of her executing really difficult stunts, like sonatas and concertos, appear on her Youtube account. She plays Paganini and Vivaldi in her repertoire.
She has become known for her technique, speed, and accuracy. Her playing style is unique because she uses a wide range of dynamics. She can play soft and gentle or loud and powerful, depending on the needs of the musician. Yoeun Seol also loves to play with other musicians as well as by herself. She started learning violin at age 6 from her mother, who was a violinist in a symphony orchestra.
Did You Know?
She learned the violin using the Suzuki technique.
