Gyehee Kim (South Korea) wins the Enescu Competition 2016, Violin Section, after a Final, which took place on Monday, September 19, at the Romanian Athenaeum, where she performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35. Donghyun Kim (South Korea) ranked second, while Erzhan Kulibaev (Kazakhstan) ranked third.
Gyehee Kim from South Korea, aged 23, won on Tuesday night the First Prize of the Violin Section at the George Enescu International Competition 2016, at the end of a Violin Final, where she performed the Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, accompanied by the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Christoph Poppen, following her dream of becoming one of the great musicians of the world. The second prize went to Donghyun Kim (South Korea) and the third prize to Erzhan Kulibaev (Kazakhstan).
The renowned French violinist Pierre Amoyal, president of the Jury at the Violin Section, announced the results of the Final on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum.
„George Enescu’s soul, his spirit is responsable for this warm atmosphere and the feeling of a true musical event. Thank you for keeping it alive!, said Pierre Amoyal on the stage.
Along with Pierre Amoyal, the Jury of the Violin Section consisted of: Remus Azoiței, Florin Croitoru, Mikhail Kopelman, Silvia Marcovici, Mihaela Martin, Eduard Schmieder and Miczyslaw Szlezer.
First prize of the George Enescu International Competition 2016 amounts to EUR 15,000. The winner of the Enescu Competition 2016 has the chance to perform on the stage of the Enescu Festival, together with some of the most important orchestras of the world. In addition, the winner will also take part in the iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates 2017. This award is offered by the conductor and violinist Eduard Schmieder, member of the jury of this year’s edition of the George Enescu International Competition. Organized in Los Angeles, USA, iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates 2017 aims to support young musicians with great talent who manage to take classical music to the next century. Participation will entail performances given in famous venues, such as the Disney Concert Hall, all the necessary costs with travel being covered by the organizers. Also, the winner of the First Prize received a Kronberg Academy scholarship from Mihaela Martin.
Conductor Christoph Poppen also awarded a special prize to young violinist Donghyun Kim, ranked second: a concert under his baton at a prestigious international festival in Portugal.
The second prize is EUR 10,000, and the third prize is EUR 5,000.
The violinist Ioana Cristina Goicea from Romania, contestant in the Violin Section Semifinal, was awarded the Ștefan Gheorghiu Scholarship for the highest-ranking Romanian contestant in the Enescu Competition 2016. The scholarship is offered by three of the most renowned Romanian-born violinists in the world, Mihaela Martin, Silvia Marcovici and Mariana Sârbu.
The trophy of the Enescu Competition 2016, offered to the three young artists, is made of crystal and granite by Iulia Năstase and Mihai Băncilă.
The prize for the best foreign accompanist, amounting to EUR 4,000, was offered to the pianist Danor Quinteros.
At the young age of 23, the violinist Gyehee Kim (South Korea) has already performed with ensembles such as Russian Symphony, Torun Symphony, Gnessin Academy of Music and Bulgaria Pleven Philharmonic. She studies at the Seoul National University. She has already won the Second Prize at the Torun International Violin Competition (2016) and the Third Prize at the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians (2014).
The youngest contestant of the Violin Section at the Enescu Competition 2016, Donghyun Kim (South Korea) is 16 years old and she studies at the National Arts University of Korea. As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras like Incheon Philharmonic Orchestra and Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra. He is the winner of the First Prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians (2015) and the First Prize at the Leopold Auer International Competition (Sankt Petersburg, 2014).
Erzhan Kulibaev (Kazakhstan) is 29 years old and he studied in Madrid. He gave concerts and solo recitals with orchestras such as the Polish Chamber Philharmonic and Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra. He has already won awards at two important international competitions – First Prize at the Paul Hindemith Competition and Fifth Prize at the Henryk Wieniawski Competition.
“I dream ceaselessly. I want to play music for as long as I am alive.” – these are the words of George Enescu, brought back to life at the 2016 edition of the Enescu Competition, in a challenge launched to young artists and to the audience alike: “Give life to your dream!”. We are the sum of our dreams, as individuals and as a society. Enescu Competition 2016 invites us to acknowledge and celebrate the dreams that take us further, from the perspective of the selected young artists competing at this edition, as well as from that of the audience coming to support them at the Romanian Athenaeum. At the end of the Enescu Competition 2016, the audience will be invited to attend a surprise event organized at the Romanian Athenaeum, which will highlight the most beautiful lifetime dreams written by the spectators in the “Give Life to Your Dream!” App, available on www.festivalenescu.ro.
Between September 3 and 25, 196 young artists from all over the world are coming to Bucharest to give life to their dream of becoming great artists of the world, at the 2016 edition of the George Enescu International Competition. The prizes have a total value of EUR 115,000, with the added possibility of performing on the stage of the Enescu Festival, as well as special prizes and international promotion opportunities.
Translation provided by Biroul de Traduceri Champollion
