Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 Performance
Audience Award, Chopin Award, and Orchestra Award Swept
Pianist Choi Young-sun became the first Korean to win the 26th Lina Sala Gallo International Piano Competition, which concluded on the 8th (local time) in Monza, Italy.
The Lina Sala Gallo Music Association announced Choi Young-sun as the recipient of the grand prize, the 'City of Monza' award, at the closing ceremony held at the Manzoni Theatre in Monza, Italy. In the final round, Choi performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with the Milan Symphony Orchestra. She consistently delivered a stable performance and received the highest score. The prize money is 15,000 euros (approximately 21 million KRW). She also swept the Audience Award, Chopin Award, and the Orchestra Special Award, which are decided by audience votes.
The Lina Sala Gallo International Piano Competition was established in 1947 by Italian pianists Lina Sala Gallo and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. It has been held every two years since 1970. The previous highest achievement by a Korean was second place by Seo Hyung-min in 2018.
Choi Young-sun studied at Seoul National University and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She gained recognition by placing third at the 2018 Lyon International Piano Competition and won first place at the US International Paderewski Piano Competition last April.
Meanwhile, Na Seung-hyuk, who is studying at the Mozarteum University Salzburg in Austria, placed third on the same day, following Choi Young-sun and Ivan Vasic (Serbia).
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