Korean Cellist Choi Ha-young Wins Queen Elizabeth Competition in Cello Category

Choi Ha-young, a Korean, won first place in the cello category of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, considered one of the world's three major classical music competitions. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Choi Hayoung, a Korean cellist, won first place at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, one of the world's three major classical music competitions.

On the 4th (local time), after the final day performance of the cello category at the Queen Elisabeth Competition held at Bozar in Brussels, Belgium, Choi Hayoung was announced as the winner in the award ceremony held early morning on the 5th.

The final, which began on the 30th of last month and continued until this day, featured a total of 12 finalists, including four Koreans. The finalists performed an unpublished piece specially composed for this competition by German musician J?rg Widmann, followed by a concerto of their choice performed in collaboration with the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra.

Choi Hayoung, who graduated from the Korea National University of Arts Gifted Education Center and the Purcell School of Music in the UK, and later from the Kronberg Academy in Germany, has previously won the Brahms International Competition and the Krzysztof Penderecki International Cello Competition.

The Queen Elisabeth Competition is regarded as one of the world's three major music competitions alongside Poland's Chopin Piano Competition and Russia's Tchaikovsky Competition. The competition rotates annually among piano, cello, vocal, and violin categories.

The cello category was newly established in 2017, and this year marks its second competition. In the inaugural year, a French performer took first place, and Choi Hayoung became the first Korean to win in the cello category. In 2014, Hwang Sumi won in the vocal category, and in 2015, Lim Jiyoung won in the violin category. In the piano category, Kim Taehyung (5th place in 2010), Kim Dasol (6th place in 2010), and Han Jiho (4th place in 2016) have also placed.

The winner will be awarded by Queen Mathilde of Belgium in a forthcoming ceremony and will receive a prize of 25,000 euros (approximately 34 million KRW).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.