The 2nd Korea International Organ Competition to be Held in September

Document Submission Until the End of April
First In-Person Event Since COVID-19 Restrictions Eased

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] A stage will be held to introduce organ music to the general public and discover talented young organists.

Organ console. [Photo by Lotte Cultural Foundation]

The Lotte Cultural Foundation announced on the 13th that it will hold the 2nd Korea International Organ Competition in collaboration with the Korean Organists Association.

Eligibility for the competition is limited to those born after September 1, 1986, regardless of nationality. After the application deadline on April 30, successful candidates will be announced in May, followed by the first round of the finals on September 21 and the second round on September 24. Finalists will be announced on September 24, with the final round held on September 26, and the awards ceremony and gala concert on September 27.

The first round of the finals will be performed on the Go Art organ at the Lee Kang-sook Hall of Korea National University of Arts, while the second round and final will be performed on the Rieger organ at Lotte Concert Hall. The first round, specialized in Baroque repertoire according to the characteristics of the organ at each venue, will be held at K-Arts, and the second round, featuring other repertoires, will be held at Lotte Concert Hall.

The judges include Chairperson Oh Ja-kyung (Korea), Shin Dong-il (Korea), Martin Jin (USA), Henry Fairs (UK), and Wolfgang Zerer (Germany).

The first-place winner will receive a prize of 11 million KRW and an opportunity to perform in planned concerts at Lotte Concert Hall for the next two years. The second and third place winners will each receive 3 million KRW. Additionally, a special award will be given to participants who demonstrate outstanding skill in the performance and interpretation of contemporary music.

The 2nd Korea International Organ Competition_Poster [Photo by Lotte Cultural Foundation]

The first competition was originally scheduled to be held from September 19 to 26, 2020, at Korea National University of Arts and Lotte Concert Hall, but was postponed to September 2021 due to the COVID-19 situation. Among the 12 finalists at that time, nine were foreign nationals, and considering the ongoing pandemic, it was deemed impractical to hold the competition with participants and judges entering from various countries. Therefore, the first competition concluded with the selection of finalists, and it was agreed to hold the second competition in September 2023.

Kim Seon-kwang CEO of Lotte Cultural Foundation stated, “The Korea International Organ Competition will elevate the level of organ music in Korea, and based on this competition, more musical talents will grow into accomplished performers.”

Professor Oh Ja-kyung, Chairperson of the Korea International Organ Competition and faculty member of the Korea National University of Arts College of Music, said, “It is very meaningful to hold an international organ competition in Korea,” adding, “Through this competition, we aim to widely promote organ music to the general public and encourage and discover talented young organists.”

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