Korean cellist Youbien Lee received both first prize and the UNESCO City of Music Special Prize
The finals of the Isang Yun Cello Competition took place on 8 November in Tongyeong, South Korea. The finalists performed concertos with the Tongyeong Festival Orchestra.
The KRW30,000,000 (£15,600) first prize was awarded to Korean cellist Youbien Lee (b.2000), who also won the UNESCO City of Music Special Prize worth KRW2,000,000 (£1,000).
The KRW20,000,000 (£10,400) second prize was given to Korean Jeri Lee (b.2009), who also received the Seong-Yawng Park Special Prize worth KRW2,000,000 (£1,000). Canadian cellist Andrew Ilhoon Byun (b.1998) won third prize and the Isang Yun Special Prize, both worth KRW10,000,000 (£5,200). Korean cellist A-Hyeon Choi (b.2006) came in fourth, receiving KRW5,000,000 (£2,600).
Youbien Lee studied at the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts with Kangho Lee from 2017 to 2018 and completed a bachelor’s degree at the Korea National University of Arts in 2022, where she studied with both Kangho Lee and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. In 2022 she began a master’s degree at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin with Troels Svane. She has undertaken masterclasses with Jens Peter Mainz, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, Danjulo Ishizaka and others.
Other competition success includes first prizes at the 2021 David Popper International Cello Competition, 2021 JoongAng National Music Competition and 2021 Sungjung National Music Competition. In 2024, she was awarded third prize at the Buchet International Cello Competition in Belgium.
As a soloist she has performed with the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, KNUA Symphony Orchestra and Cheongju Philharmonic Orchestra.
This year’s jury was chaired by Arto Noras, and comprised Clive Greensmith, Louise Hopkins, Doo-Min Kim, Kangho Lee, Troels Svane, Andreas Vierziger, Jian Wang and Hiroyasu Yamamoto.
Read: Finalists announced for the 8th Mirecourt International Violin Competition
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