Music prodigy Christian Li is back in Australia after becoming the youngest-ever winner of the "Olympics of the Violin" in Geneva.
The 10-year-old violinist, from Melbourne, mesmerised the world by clinching the Junior Prize at the 2018 Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists.
Christian's scintillating renditions of Jaehyuck Choi's Self in Mind and Vivaldi's The Four Seasons: Summer catapulted him onto the world stage.
"I didn't expect to win, so it was like a dream came true. And I felt honoured to be in this competition," he told SBS News.
Christian has only been playing the violin for five years. He practices three to four hours a day, but also takes time to read, swim and play football.
Dr Robin Wilson, from the Australian National Academy of Music, has been teaching Christian for just over two years. He said Christian's dedication underpinned his success in Switzerland.
"That's always heartening to know that what we've been doing has enabled those qualities to come to the fore in his performance. So I was really happy that his work, and tremendous hard work, had been recognised, in that sense," he said.
Christian Li spoke with SBS News about his incredible performance. Source: SBS
Christian was awarded the top prize alongside 11-year-old Singaporean Chloe Chua.
The Australian won 10,000 Swiss Francs ($AUD13,000) and was granted a one-year loan of an Italian violin by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.
The Menuhin Competition is held every two years in a different city around the world.
