Dindin Jingyi Wang wins 2025 Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship

Dindin Jingyi Wang has been awarded the 2025 Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship, Australia’s richest prize for young violinists.

She was also the recipient of the prize for the best performance of the required piece at the competition, Fritz Kreisler’s Recitative & Scherzo-Caprice.

Established at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in 1988 to honour the legacy of Australian violinist Dorcas McClean (1917–1981), the scholarship supports talented young Australian violinists to complete advanced study overseas. Past recipients have gone on to become concert soloists, to play in the world’s top orchestras, and to become esteemed teachers and chamber musicians.

A first prize of $40,000 is awarded to the winner, enabling the recipient to pursue further overseas studies at leading conservatories worldwide. Second and third place receive $10,000 and $5,000 respectively.

The prize was awarded on Sunday 2 February at Hanson Dyer Hall, after Ms Wang performed Concerto No. 5 in A Major. K. 219 ‘Turkish’ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with the Melbourne Conservatorium Camerata Orchestra directed by Associate Professor Richard Davis.

Born in China, Ms Wang began playing the violin at the age of three. She was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at age 15, where she currently studies with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pamela Frank. Her previous teachers include Margaret Batjer, Ida Kavafian, and Fintan Murphy.

At the age of 12, she became the youngest ever winner of the Australian Kendall National Violin Competition. More recently, she was awarded Second Prize at the 2022 Chicago International Violin Competition and Third Prize at the 2024 New York Classic Violin Competition, where she was the youngest participant.

The adjudicating panel, which comprised previous Dorcas McClean winner Adele Anthony, distinguished soloists Dene Olding and Sophie Rowell, and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Head of Strings Associate Professor Curt Thompson, were impressed with the extraordinary standard of playing this year.

“The 2025 Dorcas McClean competition featured six exceptionally gifted semi-finalists selected from a record number of applications,” said Associate Professor Thompson. "Dindin Wang’s performances stood out in a very competitive field. With her artistry, poise and command of the instrument, I am absolutely sure we will hear and see much more of her in the years to come."

Ms Wang said she was honoured and grateful to have been awarded this prestigious scholarship. "It was such an amazing experience competing in the 2025 Dorcas McClean Competition," she said. "The competition was organised so well and it was such a fruitful and fun experience for me. Winning the scholarship means tremendous support towards my studies at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and my future development as a young violinist. I want to sincerely thank everyone who made this competition possible."

Associate Professor Thompson said the field had been close. "The second and third prize-winners turned in stunning performances of their own," he said.

Second place was awarded to Beatrice Colombis, and third place to Dandan Jingfei Wang.

Find out more about the Dorcas McClean Travelling Scholarship for Violinists.