Cellist Lee You-bien has won first prize at this year’s Isangyun Competition, the Tongyeong International Music Foundation announced on Sunday.
Lee was named the top prize winner after performing Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 with the Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, conducted by Leos Svarovsky, in the final round held Saturday at the Tongyeong Concert Hall.
“I’m truly honored and grateful to receive such a prestigious award,” Lee said during the award ceremony. “I learned so much from all the other participants and have deep respect for every one of them.”
Second prize went to Lee Jeri, while Andrew Ilhoon Byun of Canada took third prize, and Choi A-hyeon received fourth prize.
Lee Jeri also received the Seong-Yawng Park Special Prize, awarded to a promising Korean musician, while Lee You-bien earned the UNESCO City of Music Special Prize, chosen by audience vote. The Isang Yun Special Prize, given to the performer who best interpreted composer Yun's work, went to Byun for his performance of Espace I for Cello and Piano.
The prize winners are scheduled to perform a winners’ concert on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Gwangju Arts Center.
Established in 2003 by the TIMF, the Isangyun Competition honors the legacy of composer Isang Yun (1917-1995) by promoting cultural exchanges among nations through music, and by supporting talented young musicians from all over the world. Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, was Yun's hometown.
The competition is held annually in November, alternating between the disciplines of cello, piano and violin; following this year’s cello edition, the piano competition will be held in 2026 and the violin competition in 2027. The 2022 cello competition’s first prize went to Han Jae-min of Korea.
This year’s event, which began on Nov. 1, drew 137 applicants from 23 countries.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
