Pianists Lee Hyuk and Lee Hyo Brothers Fail to Advance to Chopin Competition Finals

Pianists Lee Hyuk and Lee Hyo, who are brothers, failed to advance to the finals of the 19th International Chopin Piano Competition.

According to the Chopin Competition website on October 17, following the results of the third round of the main competition held in Warsaw, Poland, 11 contestants from seven countries advanced to the finals, including Kevin Chen from Canada, three contestants from China, two from the United States, two from Japan, one from Poland, one from Malaysia, and one from Georgia.

Artur Shuklener, director of the Chopin Institute, which organizes the Chopin Competition, announced the list of finalists for the 19th Chopin Competition on the 16th (local time) at the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw, Poland. [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Held every five years, the Chopin Competition is considered the most prestigious and authoritative piano competition in the world. Ten years ago, Korea's representative pianist Cho Seongjin became the first Korean to win at the 17th Chopin Competition, launching his career as a world-renowned pianist.

This year, a total of 84 pianists competed in the main competition, including 16 prizewinners from major competitions. The Lee brothers advanced to the semifinals, where the field was narrowed to 20 contestants, but unfortunately did not make it past the final hurdle to reach the finals.

The finals will be held from October 18 to 20 (local time) at the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall in Poland. The finalists will perform either Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 or No. 2, as well as Chopin's "Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante," to determine the winner. The final winner will be announced in the early morning of October 21, Korea time.

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