Yoon Han-gyeol Wins Top Prize at the 'Karajan Young Conductor Award' Competition

'Scotland' and 'The Barber of Seville' Conducting
"Make the Music Feel Like It Comes from the Heart"

Conductor Yoon Han-gyeol (29) became the first Korean to win the 'Herbert von Karajan Young Conductor Award' competition.

The jury announced on the 6th (local time) at the Mozart Great Hall in Salzburg, Austria, that Yoon Han-gyeol was selected as the winner. They praised him, saying, "He was charismatic, thoroughly prepared, and technically excellent," and added, "He made the music feel as if it was flowing from his heart, not just imitated."

The Herbert von Karajan Young Conductor Award is an international competition regarded as a gateway for young conductors. It was established in 2010 at the Salzburg Festival, a world-renowned classical music festival in Austria. Herbert von Karajan (1908?1989) was the emperor of 20th-century classical music, having conducted 3,524 performances. He extended his influence across Europe’s major orchestras and opera houses, as well as opera directing, music film directing, management, education, and music therapy. Before the final round, Yoon Han-gyeol said in an interview with the Salzburg Festival, "Karajan was a conductor with numerous achievements, but in my opinion, he was great for introducing the language of music to many people around the world."

This competition saw 323 participants from 50 countries. In April, Yoon Han-gyeol secured a place in the finals alongside Vitali Alekseenok (Belarus) and Tobias B?gger (Austria). Performing last on stage that day, he conducted four pieces: Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A minor 'Scottish', Gioachino Rossini’s opera overture 'The Barber of Seville', Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s aria 'Oh, gentle star', and Korean composer Shin Dong-hoon’s chamber orchestra piece 'Of Mice and Men'. He received the highest score, winning a prize of 15,000 euros (approximately 21 million KRW) and the opportunity to conduct at next year’s Salzburg Festival. Given the global attention on this competition, opportunities to collaborate with renowned orchestras are also expected to follow.

Yoon Han-gyeol, originally from Daegu, moved to Germany while attending Seoul Arts High School and graduated from the Munich Conservatory. In 2019, he became the first Korean to win the Neme J?rvi Award, the first prize in conducting, at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy, one of Europe’s largest music festivals. Building on this, he worked as an assistant conductor at the Grand Th??tre de Gen?ve and the Nuremberg State Theatre, and as a conductor at the Mecklenburg State Theatre. Supported by foundations such as the P?ter E?tv?s Foundation in Budapest, he also worked as a composer. He was recognized early on for his talent, winning second place at the 2015 Geneva Composition Competition among other awards.

Since November last year, he has expanded his activities after signing an exclusive contract with Askonas Holt, a world-renowned classical artist management company. This company represents world-class conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Myung-whun Chung, Daniel Barenboim, Michael Tilson Thomas, Yannick N?zet-S?guin, as well as star performers like Evgeny Kissin, Andr?s Schiff, and Yo-Yo Ma.