Latest news with #13thInternationalJeanSibeliusViolinCompetition
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Sibelius winner Park Sueye on new milestone in distinctive career
25-year-old takes home first prize at 13th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition At just 25, violinist Park Sueye has already forged a distinctive path in the classical music world, having released five albums since her debut at age 16 in 2017. On Friday, she made headlines by winning the 13th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition -- becoming the third Korean to win the prestigious prize after Yang In-mo in 2022 and Korean American violinist Christel Lee in 2015. Founded in 1965 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius' birth, the Helsinki-based competition is typically held every five years and is widely regarded as one of the most challenging and respected violin competitions in the world. Past winners include legendary figures such as Viktoria Mullova, Leonidas Kavakos and Sergey Khachatryan. In a phone interview with The Korea Herald on Friday as she departed for Greece, Park reflected on the experience with quiet composure. 'I did not have any expectations -- not to mention winning the first prize. I just focused on my music and wanted to leave the stage without regrets,' she said. 'This time, I really felt almost no stress and just enjoyed being on stage. The program was difficult, but I had built a strong routine and trained a lot leading up to the competition.' While the Sibelius win is her first major international competition victory, Park has already carved out an identity through her discography and artistic choices. Her debut recording, Paganini: 24 Caprices, was released in November 2017 when she was just 16. Her sixth album, a solo violin recording titled "Exil!," is set for release in July via BIS Records. It features Bartok's Sonata for Solo Violin, selections from Ysaye's Six Sonatas and other technically demanding works. Why enter a competition now, after already having established herself through recordings? 'I knew there were other chances and I thought I'd give it a try before it was too late,' she said. 'This was my first competition since the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition three years ago -- and I don't plan on entering another.' Despite the win, Park emphasized that her artistic direction remains unchanged. 'Even though I've just won a competition, I plan to keep going as I've been doing - -just steadily believing in myself, as I have for the past few years,' she said. 'I'll continue releasing albums and performing, just as I've always done. I want to stay honest with myself and move forward as a truly sincere musician.' Forty violinists participated in the 13th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition. Following the first and second rounds held from May 19 to May 25, six finalists, including Park, were selected. For the final round, Park performed Oliver Knussen's Violin Concerto Op. 30 with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Her prize includes 30,000 euros ($34,000) in cash, upcoming engagements with Finland's top orchestras, mentorship under violinist Pekka Kuusisto and conductor-violinist John Storgards and a one-year loan of the 1777 Guadagnini violin 'ex Sasson,' facilitated by Beare's International Violin Society. Second prize was awarded to Minami Yoshida from Japan and third prize to Claire Wells from the United States. This year's jury consisted of seven violinists, including Korea's own Lee Sung-ju and Cho Jin-joo, who served as a Kumho Art Hall artist-in-residence in 2015.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Violinist Park Sue-ye wins prestigious Sibelius competition
South Korean violinist Park Sue-ye has won the 13th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions for the instrument in the world. Park was announced as the first prize winner of the competition, which took place in Helsinki from May 19 to 29, according to the competition's website Friday. "I am so happy to have won the competition," she was quoted as saying by her agency, Mok Production. "It means a lot to me, and I was delighted to be able to communicate through my music to the very end," she said. Park received a cash prize of 30,000 euros (US$34,000) and was also rewarded with a loan of a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini made in 1777. Minami Yoshida received the second prize, while Claire Wells took third. The 25-year-old became the second South Korean violinist to win the quinquennial contest founded in 1965 for young violinists under age of 30. In 2022, Yang In-mo won the competition. Born in 2000, Park began playing the violin at the age of 4 and made her debut at 16 with a recording of Niccolo Paganini's 24 Caprices. In 2021, her album "Journey Through a Century" was selected as the Editor's Choice and among the Recordings of the Year by Gramophone. In a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency later Friday, Park said winning the competition had not hit her yet. "I think it will take a few more days before I realize I've won this," Park said. "I have seen other South Koreans win prizes from afar, and I am grateful and honored to win this competition as a Korean." Park acknowledged that she grew up feeling the weight of expectations as a young prodigy, but she was surprisingly relaxed ahead of the Sibelius competition. "I told myself I should just go do my thing because I knew how hard I'd prepared for it," Park said. "I wanted to stay focused on my own music." Park said she picked up violin because she fell in love with the sound of the instrument as a child. After getting her start with a toy violin, Park said her career goal now is to have people keep coming back to her. "I'd like to become a violinist that people want to hear over and over again, after the end of my performance," she said. "I want to soothe people in ways that words can't and I hope people will feel happy after listening to my music. I want people to say, 'I loved the way you played,' even if they may not be able to express their feelings in exact words." (Yonhap)
