Pianist Park Yeonmin Wins Romania Enescu Competition

Pianist Park Yeonmin. (Photo by Kumho Cultural Foundation)

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] Pianist Park Yeonmin (31) won first place at the '2020 George Enescu International Competition.'

According to the Kumho Cultural Foundation on the 24th, pianist Park Yeonmin took first place in the piano category at the '2020 George Enescu International Competition,' held on the 23rd (local time) in Bucharest, Romania.

Park Yeonmin received a first prize of 15,000 euros (approximately 20.5 million KRW) and various performance opportunities, including an invitation to the 2022 George Enescu Festival as a prize. Second place went to Adela Riculescu of Romania, and third place to Marcin Bieczorek of Poland.

Park Yeonmin performed at the 2014 Kumho Young Artist Concert. She won second place at the 2014 Palma d’Oro International Piano Competition and Luciano Luciani International Piano Competition, first place at the 2015 Hanoi International Piano Competition, third place at the 2017 Seoul International Music Competition and Darmstadt International Chopin Competition, and first place and Audience Award at the 2019 Lyon International Piano Competition. She studied under Aviram Reichert at Seoul National University and is currently enrolled in the highest artist diploma program at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, studying with Bernd Goetzke.

The George Enescu International Competition began in 1958 as part of the George Enescu Festival to commemorate George Enescu, a Romanian-born composer and violinist. It is currently held every two years in four categories: piano, violin, cello, and composition.

Past Korean winners include pianist Son Jungbeom (second place without first in 2011), violinists Shin Ara (second place in 2009), Bae Wonhee (third place in 2014), Kim Gyehee (first place in 2016), Kim Donghyun (second place in 2016), and cellist Hong Eunseon (first place in 2014).

Meanwhile, due to the competition originally planned for last year being postponed to this year because of COVID-19, the competition retained the name '2020 George Enescu International Competition' without changing the year in the title.