Michiko Yamada was happy and relieved when she talked to Rie Koch after her performance in the first round. The young violinist from England seemed to have plenty left in the tank, too: perhaps one reason for this may be her preparations on the days prior to the competition. As she puts it, they didn’t include a great deal of exhausting violin practice.

- Yesterday I visited the Hans Christian Andersen Museum. It was wonderful! I thought maybe it’s best for me not to think too much before competitions or practice more than usual, Michiko Yamada says.

She has brought her mother to Odense with her and they’ve been shopping and sightseeing. They decided to make a mini-holiday out of their stay in Denmark.

- When the competition ends mummy and I are going to travel to Copenhagen, she says.