South Korean violinist Moon Boha was the highest prizewinner
The finals of the 9th Sendai International Music Competition (SIMC) took place over three days (5 to 7 June) in Sendai, Japan. The six finalists each performed one Mozart concerto and one other violin concerto from a provided list. They performed at the Hitachi Systems Sendai Hall alongside the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Hirokami Junichi.
No first prize was awarded, with the highest prizewinner receiving second prize, and two contestants receiving sixth prize.
South Korean violinist Moon Boha (b.2006) received the JPY2,000,000 (£10,000) second prize, a diploma and silver medal. She also wins performance opportunities with the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra and other major orchestras in Japan, as well as recitals in Japan and CD production. As the highest ranked prizewinner, she will also perform a recital in Tokyo in the winter of 2025.
Third prize went to Chinese violinist Zhang Aozhe (b.2008). He receives JPY1,000,000 (£5,000), a diploma and a bronze medal. The JPY800,000 (£4,000) fourth prize went to Li Jinzhu (b.2007) from China while the JPY700,000 (£3,500) fifth prize went to Park Seohyeon (b.2005) from South Korea. Sixth prize was awarded to both Kim Haram (b.1998) from South Korea and Lei Hairui (b.2005) from China. They each receive JPY600,000 (£3,000).
The Jury Encouragement Award was given to semi-finalist Matoba Momo, and the audience awards (given for each day of the semi-finals) were awarded to Kim Haram (day 1), Vilmos Csikos (day 2) and Matoba Momo (day 3).
The three highest prizewinners will perform at the 8 June gala concert.
Orginally from South Korea, Moon Boha moved to the US to study at the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College at the age of 10. She currently studies at the Curtis Institute of Music with Ida Kavafian. Other competition success includes winning fifth prize at the 2021 Menuhin Competition and second prize at the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians. She has also taken classes from Nam-yun Kim, Pierre Amoyal and Josef Špaček, as well as participated in masterclasses with Mihaela Martin, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Philip Draganov and others.
This year’s SIMC jury comprised Shmuel Ashkenasi, Boris Belkin, Mengla Huang, Cho-Liang Lin, Mihaela Martin, Liviu Prunaru, Terakado Ryo and Yonemoto Kyoko. Horigome Yuzuko presided as chair of the jury, with Hori Masafumi and Young-Uck Kim as vice-chairs.
The SIMC was created in 2001 by the City of Sendai to commemorate the city’s 400th anniversary. It is held every three years and has both violin and piano categories. It focuses specifically on concertos, with the participants performing with an orchestra at every round of the competition.
Past winners include Alena Baeva, Clara-Jumi Kang and Richard Lin.
Read: Winners announced at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition
Read: Viola winners announced for Markneukirchen International Instrumental Competition
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