The Talent Episode 8: violinists Carter Ji and Kieran Lin

Carter Ji is a talented young musician with a strong foundation in both violin and piano. He began learning the violin at age five and the piano at six. He studies violin with Julian Quirit and was awarded the A.Mus.A Diploma with Distinction in 2024.
An active performer with extensive stage experience, Carter has achieved outstanding results in both local and international competitions, including the Platinum Prize and Virtuosic Performance Special Award at the 2023 Beethoven International Music Competition, as well as multiple First Prizes at the Boroondara Eisteddfod, Monash Youth Music Festival, and Ringwood Eisteddfod.
In addition to solo performance, Carter is passionate about ensemble playing. He currently performs with the Scotch College Symphonic Orchestra and the Ambassadorial Youth Chamber Orchestra. Known for his musical sensitivity, discipline, and enthusiasm, Carter is a promising young artist with a deep love for music and a strong commitment to artistic growth.

Carter will perform:

• Dmitri Kabalevsky: Rondo for Violin and Piano Op. 69
• Cesar Franck: Violin Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano 4th Movement

With associate artist Scott Zheng

Kieran is 16 and is a music scholar at Scotch College. He has been learning violin from Mark Mogilevski since the age of 8 and has also played piano since he was 7. Kieran was awarded AmusA with distinction for violin in 2020, and LmusA in 2025.
Kieran was awarded 1st place and Judges’ Best Performance Award in the 2022 Vienna Virtuoso Festival. He also placed 3rd in the 2022 Melbourne International Piano and Strings Festival and was later invited to perform at a masterclass by violinist Ambroise Aubrun in Melbourne. In 2025, Kieran won Gold in the Singapore Raffles International Music Festival and was invited to perform at the Winners’ Recital in Singapore. Over the years, Kieran has also received numerous prizes at local competitions.
Kieran has performed as a soloist with the Scotch College Symphony Orchestra and is also a member of the Academy String Orchestra. Elsewhere, Kieran has performed with the Ambassadorial Youth Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra. Kieran is a member of Quatuor Fabriqués, which won the Monash Chamber Music Prize and the Flinders Quartet Mentorship Prize at the 2025 Musica Viva Strike A Chord competition, as well as the AUSTA String Prize in the 2024 competition. Kieran has twice participated in the Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy program.
Outside music, Kieran has a strong passion for languages, having twice participated in the OzCLO linguistics competition. He also likes travelling and exploring the cultures and traditions of other countries.

Kieran will perform:

• Saint-Saens: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A Minor, Op.28
• Gershwin: Tempo di Blues (from "Porgy and Bess")

With associate artist Scott Zheng