Pianist Woo Yong-gi Wins 2nd Place at the UK Scottish International Piano Competition

Iley Hao from China Ties for 2nd Place
First Korean Performer to Win Award

Pianist Woo Yong-gi (29) tied for second place at the Scottish International Piano Competition held in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

Pianist Woo Yong-gi. [Photo by Kumho Cultural Foundation]

According to the Kumho Cultural Foundation on the 11th, Woo Yong-gi tied for second place with China's Ilai Hao at the 2023 Scottish International Piano Competition, which concluded on the 10th (local time) in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Woo is the first Korean performer to win a prize at this competition.

The Scottish Competition was established in 1986 to honor Frederick Lamond, a Scottish pianist and student of Franz Liszt. It is held every three years for pianists worldwide aged 18 to 30. This competition was held for the first time in six years due to COVID-19.

Through a preliminary video screening, 24 pianists advanced to the finals. From the first and second rounds and the semifinals held from the 1st to the 7th, three finalists were selected, and the final was held on the 10th at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Woo Yong-gi performed Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26, with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, conducted by David Niemann. First place went to Jonathan Mamora (USA), and second place was shared by Woo Yong-gi and Ilai Hao (China). The winners, including Woo, will be invited to numerous performances held throughout Scotland.

Woo graduated from Seoul Arts High School and Seoul National University, where he studied under Aviram Reichert and graduated with highest honors. He is currently studying under Evgeny Bozhanov at Folkwang University of the Arts in Germany.

Woo debuted in 2009 with the Kumho Young Artists Concert and has achieved excellent results in prestigious domestic and international competitions, including first place at the Suzhou Jinji Lake International Piano Competition, first place at the Hong Kong Asia Open Competition, first place at the KBS KEPCO Music Competition, and second place at the Seoul International Music Competition. He has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, and Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra.

Notable past winners of the Scottish International Piano Competition include Sergey Babayan (1st place in 1992), Graeme McNaught (1st place in 1990), Alexandre Kobrin (1st place in 1998), and Jonathan Fournel (1st place in 2014). Korean-Canadian Michael Injae Kim placed second in 1992.

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