Winners Announced at Lyon International Chamber Music Competition

The Arete Quartet has won first prize at this year's competition

The Lyon International Chamber Music Competition (CIMCL) has recently came to a close in France. Audiences can watch all rounds of the competition on The Violin Channel.

The competition's prize pool totaled €25,000, as well as a range of career development opportunities — including masterclasses, concert appearances, and attendance at the Villecroze music academy.

In 2024, the CIMCL jury comprised Goran Končar, Kyril Zlotnikov, Luc-Marie Aguera, Marie Chilemme, and Mihaela Martin.

The first prize went to Arete Quartet, from Seoul, South Korea. The group is made up of violinists Chaeann Jeon and Eunjoong Park, violist Yoonsun Jang, and cellist Seonghyeon Park. They will receive 10,000 €.

Second prize went to the Hesper Quartet from New York, U.S. Comprised of violinists Sojeong Kim and Ye Jin Yoon, violist SoHui Yun, and cellist Connor Kim, the group will receive 6,000 €. This group also received the Prize Académie musicale de Villecroze.

Third prize and 4,000 € went to the Varen Quartet, from Paris France. The group is made up of violinists Jean-Baptiste Iachemet and Elliott Pages, violist David Heusler, and cellist Adèle Quartier de Andrade.

The Arete Quartet received the following special prizes as well:

• The SEAM prize for the dedication to contemporary repertoire
• Best interpretation of a contemporary piece, attributed by the musicology students of the University Lyon 2
• Prize "Musiciens entre guerre et paix" (musicians between war and peace) for the best interpretation of the 1^st movement of the second quartet of Lucien Durosoir
• Public Prize
• Belle Saison Prize

Established in September 2019, Arete Quartet debuted in Kumho Art Hall Yonsei, and the live performance was exclusively introduced to Korea Broadcasting Service, Korea’s biggest broadcasting institution.

The Arete Quartet is a former prizewinner at the 2023 Mozart Salzburg, 2021 Prague Spring International Music Competition, and 2024 Artsylvia — in addition to receiving the Bohuslav Martinu Foundation award, and two special awards at the 12th International String Quartet Competition of Reggio Emilia, the Premio Paolo Borciani.

Based in Munich, the Arete Quartet studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München with scholarships from Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now. The group studied with Prof. Christoph Poppen, Jaeyoung Kim of the Novus Quartet, Quatuor Ébène, and Prof. Eberhard Feltz.