Remembering Sir Michael Hill

Sir Michael Hill, founder of the Michael Hill International Violin Competition, died peacefully at his home in Arrowtown, New Zealand on 29 July, surrounded by his family including his wife of 60 years, Christine, Lady Hill. He was 86 years old.

Hill was born on 23 December 1938. He left school at 16 with the ambition to become a concert violinist and dreamed of being a concert violinist, but his family steered him into the jewellery trade and he instead became a household name with Michael Hill stores across New Zealand, Australia and Canada. By the end of 2009, the company had 242 stores worldwide. Hill’s daughter, Emma Hill, succeeded him as chairman of the business in 2015.

Hill was a true artist, with a keen eye for aesthetics and beauty, and an uncompromising standard of excellence. A committed amateur violinist, he practiced Bach on his 1831 J. Pressenda violin every day his schedule allowed – constantly striving for improvement from which he derived enormous satisfaction.

In 2001, he founded the biennial Michael Hill international Violin Competition. So much more than just a violin competition, the Michael Hill today enables music-making opportunities to spill out across the community leaving a lasting impact on our local music scene. The introduction of a Fellowship programme in 2023 saw six exceptionally talented Kiwi violinists become part of the Michael Hill experience, observing every stage of the competition, learning from visiting jury members and workshopping and performing with many of the competitors. Firm friendships were formed that will help guide these young Kiwi musicians as they step onto the international stage in pursuit of their own performance careers.