Prizes Awarded at South Korea's 2021 Isangyun Violin Competition

22-year-old Karisa Chiu from the United States has been awarded first prize at this year's violin edition of the Isangyun Competition, in Tongyeong, South Korea

Presented by the Tongyeong International Music Foundation since 2003, the Isangyun Competition is held in remembrance of renowned Korean composer Isang Yun (1917-1995) — with the aim of supporting emerging international soloists and the positive promotion of cultural exchange among nations.

Karisa is a current student of Ida Kavafian at the Curtis Institute of Music, in Philadelphia, having previously studied with Almita Vamos and her father, Cornelius Chiu. She is a former top prize winner at the Leopold Mozart, Stulberg  Irving M. Klein, Cooper, and Menuhin International Violin Competitions.

She will receive KRW 30,000,000 (Approximately USD $26,500).

KARISA CHIU | BRAHMS VIOLIN CONCERTO | DMITRY SITKOVETSKY & TONGYEONG FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | 2021 ISANGYUN INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION | 1ST PRIZE

Second and third prizes at this year's competition were awarded to Jueun Jeong and Nakyung Kang, both from South Korea.

JUEUN JEONG | SIBELIUS VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MINOR | DMITRY SITKOVETSKY & TONGYEONG FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | 2021 ISANGYUN INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION | 2ND PRIZE

NAKYUNG KANG | SIBELIUS VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MINOR | DMITRY SITKOVETSKY & TONGYEONG FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA | 2021 ISANGYUN INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN COMPETITION | 3RD PRIZE

The audience prize of KRW 2,000,000, presented by the UNESCO Creative City of Music, was awarded to Jueun Jeong.

Nakyung Kang was awarded this year's "Seong-Yawng Park Prize" of KRW 2,000,000 — presented to the most promising young Korean participant.

The "Isang Yun Special Prize" of KRW 10,000,000, awarded for the best interpretation of the Isang Yun Violin Concerto No.3 in the final round of the competition, was presented to Dongmin Lin from South Korea.

The 2021 jury comprised Namyun Kim (Chairperson), Shmuel Ashkenasi, Choon Soo Chung, Boris Garlitsky, Lena Neudauer, Lucie Robert, David Schultheiss, Takashi Shimizu, and Tianwa Yang.

Held annually and alternating disciplines between piano, violin, and cello, the competition's previous first prize winners include violinists VC Young Artists Ji Won Song, Luke Hsu, and Yu-Chien Benny Tseng.