South Korea’s ISANGYUN Violin Competition Announces 2024 Competitors 

The competition's violin edition has selected 26 first-round candidates hailing from all over the world

Presented by the Tongyeong International Music Foundation since 2003, the ISANGYUN Competition is named for the renowned Korean composer Isang Yun (1917-1995) and supports emerging international soloists and cultural exchange among nations. The competition alternates between violin, cello, and piano editions each year. 

To be held from November 2–10, 2024, in the Tongyeong Concert Hall in South Korea, the edition for violinists aged 15 to 30 received 140 applications from across 26 countries. The 2024 competition will stream live here on The Violin Channel.

Following a rigorous preliminary examination, the first-round candidates are:

1. Seoyeon Baik | Korea
2. Jelena Horvat | Serbia/The Netherlands
3. Alena Hove | USA/Japan 
4. Evan Johanson | USA 
5. Seunghyun Kang | Korea 
6. Lorenz Karls | Sweden/Austria
7. Eun Che Kim | Korea
8. Antonia Maria Kreuzer | Germany
9. Yesong Lee | USA
10. William Hsueh-hung Lee | Taiwan
11. Hao Li | China
12. Hyunjae Lim | Korea
13. Zixiang Lin | China
14. Chaowen Luo | China
15. Audrey Park | USA
16. Eunjoong Park | Korea
17. Zhiyuan Qian | China
18. Aoi Saito | Japan
19. Jake Dongyoung Shim | USA/Korea
20. Hannah Song | USA
21. Amelia Sze | USA
22. Ruiyi Wang | China
23. Jaewon Wee | Korea 
24. Raika Yamakage | Japan
25. Muyan Yang | China 
26. Rino Yoshimoto | Japan

Prizes offered at the competition include a KRW 30,000,000 (~21,500 USD) first prize; second prize with KRW 20,000,000 (~14,300 USD); third prize with KRW 10,000,000(~7,100 USD); and fourth place with KRW 5,000,000(~$3,500 USD). 

Opportunities for the first prize winner include a performance at the Orchestra Festival hosted by the Seoul Arts Center, Music in PyeongChang hosted by the Gangwon Art & Culture Foundation, and the DMZ OPEN Festival. Winners will also perform solo with the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra and the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra.

Additional prizes include the Isang Yun Special Prize, the Seong-Yawng Park Special Prize, and the UNESCO City of Music Special Prize — an audience award for the participant with the majority of votes. 

Chaired by Mihaela Martin, the 2024 jury comprises Christian Altenburger, Martin Beaver, Michiko Kamiya, Ida Kavafian, Hyuna Kim, Sung-Ju Lee, Douglas Sheldon, and Weidong Tong.

“Congratulations to all the competitors who have been selected for the First Round,” the competition organizers wrote in a press release. “We look forward to meeting you in Tongyeong.”