Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation "Ondream Cultural Arts Talent 'Lim Yunchan' Wins US Competition"

Pianist Lim Yunchan

Photo by Hyundai Motor Company Chung Mong-Koo Foundation

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation announced on the 20th that pianist Lim Yunchan (18, Korea National University of Arts), a cultural and artistic scholarship student, won first place at the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Following pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, who became the first Korean to win at the 15th competition in 2017, this marks consecutive victories by Korean pianists.

Pianist Lim Yunchan performed Liszt's 12 Transcendental Etudes and Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 in the semifinals of this competition. In the final round, he performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, conducted by Marin Alsop and accompanied by the Fort Worth Symphony, winning first place as well as the Audience Award and the Best New Work Performance Award. He will receive a prize money of $100,000 along with a special prize of $7,500, and will be fully supported with performance opportunities and album releases over the next three years. The 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition concluded on June 18 local time at the Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.

Pianist Lim Yunchan is a cultural and artistic talent supported by the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation's OnDream program. He has maintained his relationship with the foundation since 2020. Starting with second place and the Chopin Special Award at the 2018 Cleveland International Piano Competition for Youth, he also won third place and the Audience Award at the Cooper International Piano Competition, and became the youngest first-place winner at the 2019 Isang Yun International Music Competition. Since then, he has been recognized as a next-generation performer through performances at various stages such as the 2021 Symphony Festival and the 17th Pyeongchang Daegwallyeong Music Festival. He is also scheduled to perform with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation’s Gyechon Classic Festival held in Gyechon Village, Pyeongchang County, on August 27.

The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was established in 1962 to commemorate American pianist Van Cliburn, who won the first Tchaikovsky International Competition in 1958. It is recognized as one of the world's top five competitions alongside the Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Queen Elisabeth, and Busoni competitions. It is held every four years in Van Cliburn’s hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Even after passing the preliminary round, contestants compete through stages such as the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals before winners are decided.

Originally scheduled for last year, the competition was postponed for the first time in its 60-year history due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was held this year. A total of 388 pianists from 51 countries participated. Past winners include pianists Laru Dufu, Alexei Sultanov, and Olga Kern. In 2017, pianist Sunwoo Yekwon became the first Korean to win, and in 2009, pianist Son Yeol-eum placed second in this competition.

The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation’s social contribution activities in the cultural and artistic fields continue to provide top-level support domestically. Talented cultural and artistic individuals from middle school to university students are selected and provided with scholarships, support for participation in overseas competitions, and various programs to offer learning opportunities. Since 2011, the foundation has supported a cumulative total of 2,280 cultural and artistic scholarship students, with funding amounting to approximately 9.2 billion KRW.

In addition to pianist Lim Yunchan, whose winning news was previously reported, other outstanding classical music talents in the cultural and artistic field include Han Jaemin, Wi Jaewon, Shin Kyungsik, and Yoo Chaeyeon. They are proud fellows of the foundation and continue to be active both domestically and internationally.

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