Dmitri Atannasov, Justine Cormack, Vesa-Matti Leppanen, Goetz Richter and Wilma Smith whittled down 136 recordings of Paganini, Bach and Romantic-era sonatas, submitted from 29 countries, to select the 18 violinists invited to compete live.
The prestigious competition, which takes place every two years, returns to Queenstown from June 3 to 6.
Dr Cormack will bring her experience as a violin soloist, teacher, chamber musician and judge for four out of the five past competitions to explain what the judges are looking for and answer questions from the audience.
The NZTrio violinist and former concert master of the Auckland Philharmonia will offer presentations on the competitors' behind-the-scenes preparation, specific violinist techniques and performance execution, as well as the challenges of the varied repertoire.
Cormack's sessions will be free to any ticket-holder attending the live rounds.
Czech Republic violinist Josef Spacek, winner of the 2009 competition, will demonstrate his skills during the presentations. Spacek was appointed concert master of the Czech Philharmonic last December.
The 2011 competition will be launched in the Queenstown Memorial Hall on June 3 with a discussion by the international panel about their careers and competition expectations, followed by a public recital by Spacek, with Sarah Watkins on piano.
The first two rounds will be held from June 4 to 6, The 18 finalists, aged 18 to 28, will perform demanding programmes of solo and piano-accompanied works.
The top six finalists will then perform in Auckland on June 8 and 9, with cellist Ashley Brown and pianist Michael Houstoun. The three finalists advance to compete in the final round on June 11, in the Auckland Town Hall, accompanied by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
The first prize is $40,000, a CD recording and a winner's tour in 2012.
