Violist Shin Kyung-sik Wins 2nd Place and Special Award at Prague Spring International Music Competition

Violist Shin Kyung-sik (25) won 2nd place at the 74th Prague Spring International Music Competition.

Violist Shin Kyung-sik. [Photo by Kumho Cultural Foundation]

On the 14th, Kumho Cultural Foundation announced that Shin Kyung-sik, a former Kumho Young Artist, received 2nd place and the GEWA Music Special Award in the viola category finals of the 74th Prague Spring International Music Competition, which concluded on the 13th (local time) in Prague, Czech Republic.

Shin Kyung-sik will receive a prize of 150,000 Czech koruna (approximately 9.31 million KRW) for 2nd place and a GEWA instrument case as a special award.

1st place was awarded to Sa? Sul?ze Larivi?re from France. No 3rd place was selected.

Since debuting with the Kumho Young Artist Concert in 2018, Shin Kyung-sik has been recognized for his skills by winning 1st place at the 2021 Johannes Brahms International Competition, 1st place in the viola category at the 2022 Anton Rubinstein International Competition, and 2nd place and Audience Award at the 2022 Oscar Nedbal International Viola Competition. He graduated as the top student in the string department at Seoul National University College of Music and is currently enrolled in the soloist master's program under Hartmut Rohde at the Berlin University of the Arts in Germany.

The Prague Spring International Music Competition began in 1947 as part of the Prague Spring International Music Festival. It is held annually for young musicians under the age of 30, alternating between two different instrument categories each year.

This year, the competition was held for the viola and trombone categories. The viola category was held for the first time in the competition's history this year, and the trombone category was held for the first time in 12 years since 2011. Among 31 participants who passed the preliminary round in the viola category, the final 3 advanced to the finals.

The three finalists performed Gy?rgy Ligeti’s Sonata for Solo Viola and Bohuslav Martin?’s Rhapsody-Concerto for Viola and Orchestra on the 13th at the Dvo??k Hall in the Rudolfinum, Prague.

In the trombone category, which runs until the 14th, trombonist Seo Joo-hyun has advanced to the finals, raising expectations for an award.

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