Second Korean Winner Following Sunwoo Yekwon in 2017
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Pianist Lim Yunchan (18, Korea National University of Arts) won first place at the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, a world-renowned piano contest.
On the 18th (local time), Lim Yunchan was announced as the winner at the awards ceremony of the 16th Van Cliburn Competition held in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Lim Yunchan outscored five competitors to achieve the highest score. This marks the youngest winner in the 60-year history of the competition and the second Korean pianist to win after Sunwoo Yekwon in 2017.
Second place went to Anna Ginisina (31) from Russia, and third place to Dmytro Choni (28) from Ukraine.
Lim Yunchan gained attention as a next-generation pianist by becoming the youngest winner at age 15 in the 2019 Isang Yun International Competition. He debuted on the Kumho Young Artist Concert stage at age 11 in 2015, attended Yewon School, and was admitted as a gifted student to Korea National University of Arts. In 2018, he won second place and a special prize at the Cleveland International Youth Piano Competition and third place as the youngest contestant at the Cooper International Competition.
From the 14th to the 18th, at the final stage held at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Lim Yunchan performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra conducted by jury chair Marin Alsop.
Im Yunchan performing at the Van Cliburn Competition. Photo by Van Cliburn Competition/Mok Production
On the 17th, during the second piece of the final round, the Rachmaninoff concerto, Lim Yunchan delivered an impressive performance that was described as “intensely passionate as if possessed,” receiving a standing ovation from the audience.
Lim Yunchan also won the Audience Award through a popularity vote participated in by 30,000 classical music fans worldwide. Additionally, he claimed the Beverley Smith Taylor Award, given to the contestant who best performed the contemporary piece, achieving a triple crown.
The Van Cliburn Competition was established to honor American pianist Van Cliburn (1934?2013), who won the first Tchaikovsky International Competition during the Cold War in 1958. Since 1962, it has been held every four years in his hometown of Fort Worth. It is recognized as the most prestigious piano competition in the United States, comparable in stature to the Chopin International Piano Competition, the Tchaikovsky Competition, and the Queen Elisabeth Competition, known as the world’s top three competitions.
This competition was originally scheduled for last year but was postponed for the first time in its 60-year history due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was held this year. A total of 388 applicants from 51 countries applied, and 30 pianists were selected as competitors. Four Korean pianists, including Lim Yunchan, Kim Honggi (30), Park Jinhyung (26), and Shin Changyong (28), advanced to the semifinals, raising expectations for awards.
Meanwhile, as the first-place prize, Lim Yunchan will receive $100,000 (approximately 130 million KRW), along with opportunities for album recording, management worldwide for three years, and a world tour.
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