WINNERS OF 2024 COMPETITION

Youjin Kim

Piano,26, Ohio, USA, Instructed by Dror Biran

AGE CATEGORY

Age 20-30

Youjin Kim had her first solo recital at 15 in Kumho Art Hall after winning the Kumho Prodigy Audition. She graduated from the prestigious Sunhwa Arts School and Sunhwa Arts High School with Artistic Excellence Scholarships. While attending Sunhwa Arts High School, she won the audition for the Regular School Concert and, at the age of 17, performed with an orchestra at the prestigious Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall. She has earned acclaim and recognition in numerous competitions, including the 71st Wideman Competition, NSAL Competition, Jacobs Concerto Competition, Grand Prize at the Arizona International Music Competition, Grand Prize at the Concert Artists International Competition, Grand Prize at the New York Laureate International Music Competition, American Soloist International Music Competition Grand Prize, AYTIMC 1st Prize, New York International Classical Music Competition Grand Prize, Young Soloist International Music Competition Grand Prize, Spotlight International Piano Competition Best Schumann Prize, WPTA Italy Piano Artist 1st Prize with the Best Prokofiev Sonata Special Prize, first prize at the Global Philharmonic Competition, first prize at the IAC Competition, and the grand prize at The Muse Competition. Recently, she became a finalist in the Washington International Piano Competition held in Washington, D.C., and competed at the Kennedy Center. She has performed on prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. She earned her Bachelor's degree at Seoul National University, studying under the guidance of Professor Hyoung Joon Chang. She then completed her Master's degree at Indiana University. Currently, she is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Cincinnati, where she is studying under the esteemed mentorship of Dr. Dror Biran.


Edward Lee

Viola,17, New Jersey, USA, Instructed by Sophie Arbuckle

AGE CATEGORY

Age 17-19

Edward Lee, a 16-year-old violist from New Jersey, studies under the guidance of Sophie Arbuckle at Juilliard Pre-College. His list of accolades includes winning the Grand Prize at the International Young Artists Competition, First Prize in the New York Laureate International Music Competition, and the Grand Prix at the New York Concert Festival International Competition. He also received the Second Prize at the NFMC Wendell Irish Viola Competition.

Edward has demonstrated his musical leadership as the principal violist in the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony and the NJ All State Orchestra and Regional Orchestra in 2023. His passion for chamber music has kept him actively involved in the New York Youth Symphony's chamber program for four years. Additionally, he received a full scholarship to the 2024 Morningside Music Bridge Program and has previously attended the Paris International Music Academy and the Astona Summer Music Academy.

Beyond solo and ensemble performances, Edward has participated in masterclasses with renowned musicians such as Lawrence Dutton, Jessica Bodner, Carol Rodland, Martha Katz, Sheng Li, Jeffrey Irvine, Atar Arad, and Roberto Diaz. As president of the Show Me Your Heart Foundation Youth Council, co-founder of Clexical, and Regional Director of the Back to Bach project, Edward is committed to making classical music accessible and enriching the lives of underprivileged children and communities through music.


Alex Kim

Piano,15, California, USA, Instructed by John McCarthy

AGE CATEGORY

Age 14-16

Alex Kim is in tenth grade at Mountain View High School in California. He currently studies with John McCarthy through the Pre-College program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He showed a great interest in classical music from an early age and started studying piano at seven and violin at ten. Alex was selected as one of five finalists to compete in the US national division in the 2021 Music International Grand Prix. Additionally, Alex won first place in the American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music in 2021 and 2023 and has performed at Carnegie Hall both times. For the last two years he was selected to perform at the Junior Bach Festival and was chosen as a winner of the Opus National Music Competition in 2024. He has won first place in numerous competitions, such as the Great Composers Competition Best Liszt performance, Charleston International Music Competition, and the Elite International Music Competition. Recently, Alex participated in a masterclass with pianist Shai Wosner. Beside playing the piano, he enjoys cross country running, competitive math, being part of the school Science Olympiad team, and listening to classical music. 

Age Category Age Name Instrument Instructors State/Country
Age 14-16 15 Alex Kim Piano John McCarthy CA, United States
Age 17-19 17 Edward Lee Viola Sophie Arbuckle NJ, United States
Age 20-30 26 Youjin Kim Piano Dror Biran Ohio, United States

Nominees

Sophie Kim

Phoenix, AZ, United States

Zhiqi Dai

Bloomington, IN, United States

Adelle Sullivan-Cozza

Hockessin, Delaware, United States

1st Prize

Isabella Grindall

Palo Alto , CA, United States

Evan Wu

Morgantown , West Virginia , United States

Leighton Griffin

Midlothian , VA , United States

2nd Prize

Farrah Li

City Of Orange, California, United States

Cayenne Zhu

Montvale, NJ, United States

Elise Hoang

Santa Clara, CA, United States

Harper Kim

New York, NY, United States

Brandon Bang

Irving, Tx, United States

Nathan Mo

Suwanee, GA, United States

Danna Kim

Las Vegas, NV, United States

Uma Das

Chevy Chase, MD, United States

3rd Prize

Juliette Zhang

New York, NY, United States

Vihaan Tirumalasetty

Aldie, VA, United States

Honorable Mention

Jinge Li

Flushing , NY , United States