Teenage virtuoso Kim Sae-hyun wins Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition

SEOUL, 31 March (BelTA - Yonhap) - South Korean pianist Kim Sae-hyun has won the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition, the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation said Monday.

The 17-year-old virtuoso performed Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 3, Op. 30, with the Orchestra of the Republican Guard, conducted by Bastien Stil, in the final round Saturday (local time), competing against four other finalists.

Kim made his debut in 2018 through the Kumho Prodigy Concert. In July 2023, he claimed the First Prize, Audience Prize and Junior Jury Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists. Most recently, he was also named a 2024 YoungArts Winner with Distinction in Classical Music (Piano).

Kim has performed at prestigious venues, including Jordan Hall, Salle Cortot, Seoul Arts Center and Yamaha Hall Ginza, over the past decade, appearing as a soloist with the Canton Symphony and Korean Symphony orchestras.

Currently, the pianist is enrolled in the Harvard/NEC dual degree program, where he is simultaneously pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at Harvard College and a Master of Music at the New England Conservatory.

Established in 1943 by pianist Marguerite Long and violinist Jacques Thibaud, the international classical competition is held triennially in France. Previous winners of the piano competition include Lim Dong-hyek in 2001 and Lee Hyuk, who was a co-winner in 2022.