Three young Australians to perform with Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Violinist Beatrice Colombis, cellist Charlotte Miles and pianist Dillon Chan have been selected as the three grand finalists in the ABC Young Performers Awards.

The finalists will perform as soloists with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on November 3, competing for the title in a live broadcast on ABC Classic. 

The concert will also be televised on ABC TV later that week.

The prestigious competition has helped launch the careers of some of Australia's most successful musicians, including composer and violist Brett Dean, percussionist Claire Edwardes, violinist Emily Sun and, most recently, flautist Eliza Shephard.

What is the Young Performers Awards?

The ABC Young Performers Awards is one of Australia's leading competitions for emerging classical musicians. 

Open to instrumentalists aged 31 and under, it provides a national platform for young performers to showcase their artistry and compete at the highest level.

The competition unfolds across three rounds.

In the opening round, applicants submitted a 40-minute video recital for assessment by a judging panel.

12 musicians were selected to perform in live semi-final concerts held in Sydney and Melbourne throughout August.

The three finalists will now advance to the Grand Final.

Who are the grand finalists?

The three grand finalists represent the breadth of Australia's emerging classical talent.

Between them, they have amassed significant performance experience and won a host of Australian and international competitions and prizes.

Beatrice Colombis, violinist

Beatrice Colombis, 23, is an Italian-Australian violinist studying at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin after graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

In 2020, Colombis formed the Cousin Quartet with her brother and cousins, which won Musica Viva's inaugural Strike A Chord competition.

She was selected as an Emerging Artist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 2023 and 2024, and has performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Karajan Akademie Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Earlier in 2026, Colombis won the Michael Hill International Violin Competition.

Colombis will perform Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the Grand Final of the Awards.

Charlotte Miles, cellist

Charlotte Miles, 23, is a Melbourne-born cellist studying at the Kronberg Academy in Germany.

She has won more than 100 Australian and international prizes, including the Australian National Young Virtuoso Award and 3MBS Young Performer of the Year. 

Miles also received the Melbourne Prize for Music's Professional Development Award in 2025.

A passionate chamber musician, Miles has appeared at major festivals across Australia and Europe, performing with numerous ensembles.

She plays a 1780 Joseph Hill cello on loan from an Australian collection.

Miles will perform Elgar's Cello Concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the Grand Final of the Awards.

Dillon Chan, pianist

Dillon Chan, 13, is a Melbourne-born pianist and Year 9 music scholar at Camberwell Grammar School.

His trio, Kingussie, won the 2026 Musica Viva Strike A Chord National Chamber Music Competition.

Chan has also won major national and international piano competitions, including the Steinway Youth Piano Competition Australia and the Hephzibah Menuhin Memorial Awards.

He performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician and is a Young Ambassador of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.

Chan will perform Chopin's Second Piano Concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the Grand Final of the Awards.

What's at stake for the finalists?

The three finalists will each perform a concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall on November 3.

Each competitor will receive a cash prize for the purpose of furthering their musical career.

The following prizes will be awarded on the night of the Grand Final:

• Winner: $40,000 and the opportunity to record a solo studio album under the ABC Classic label.
• Runner-up: $15,000 cash prize.
• Third place: $5,000 cash prize.

How can you watch and listen to the grand final?

Listen live to the ABC Young Performers Awards Grand Final on ABC Classic at 7pm AEDT on Tuesday 3 November, with pre-concert activity live from the Sydney Opera House from 3pm AEDT.

In-person tickets are available for the Grand Final performance with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

The Grand Final will be broadcast on ABC TV and iview on Thursday 5 November at 8:50pm.