Lloyd van’t Hoff – 2015 ABC Young Performer of the Year

Clarinet player Lloyd Van’t Hoff won the prestigious Grand Final of the 2015 ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards over the weekend, performing Copland’s Clarinet Concerto with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Johannes Fritzsch at Federation Concert Hall in Hobart.

Now 24, Lloyd studied clarinet at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music graduating with Honours in 2011 and winning the Postgraduate Award. He continued his studies with David Thomas at the Australian National Academy of Music, where he completed an ANAM Fellowship as a member of the award-winning Arcadia Wind Quintet and was awarded the prestigious Director’s Prize. In 2013 Lloyd travelled to Europe as Principal Clarinet with the Australian Youth Orchestra, and in the same year was the recipient of the AYO Accenture Australia Scholarship.

Lloyd has performed with major orchestras around the nation, including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, he has performed Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with Orchestra Victoria at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

The 2015 ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards continues being the foremost competition for emerging Australian musicians.

CEO of Symphony Services International, Kate Lidbetter observes “The Awards are significant as they provide young Australian performers with a launching pad into the classical music world at the international level, as well as the opportunity of playing with a major symphony orchestra. Moreover, many of our previous winners have chosen to put their prize money towards pursuing further studies, which develops their talent while opening doors to other opportunities.”

As this year’s ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year winner, Lloyd Van’t Hoff receives $25,000 cash as well as the ABC Sir Charles Moses Young Performer’s Trophy, performance opportunities with one of the Australian state Symphony Orchestras, a professionally recorded and produced CD, a feature interview in Limelight magazine, media training and a photo shoot.

The prize pool of the Awards has expanded since the new ‘mini festival’ format was introduced in 2013 and as the result of a generous bequest by Dr Gregory Byron Triffitt. The other two Concerto Finalists Lily Higson-Spence and Chris Cartlidge win $10,000 each and $6000 is awarded to each of the following categories: Best Chamber Music Performance Chris Cartlidge; Best Recital Lily Higson-Spence; Best Performance of an Australian work Chris Cartlidge and the Triffitt Prize, Lloyd Van’t Hoff, a new prize named in Dr Triffitt’s honour.

The Nelly Apt Scholarship for 2015 was awarded to Lily Higson-Spence. Lily receives a travel scholarship of up to $5,000, return transfers from Tel Aviv and a further half scholarship to attend the International Summer Mastercourse at the Keshet Eilon  Music Centre in Israel.

Christopher Lawrence will announce the winner of the People’s Choice Award during his Mornings show on ABC Classic FM on Monday 9 November.

Prizes awarded:
$25,000 ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year  Lloyd Van’t Hoff
$10,000 each  Concerto Finalist (x2)  Chris Cartlidge, Lily Higson-Spence
$6,000  Best Chamber Music Performance  Chris Cartlidge
$6,000  Best Recital  Lily Higson-Spence
$6,000  Best Performance of an Australian Work  Chris Cartlidge
$6,000  Triffitt Prize  Lloyd Van’t Hoff
$6,000  People’s Choice  announced Monday 9 Nov