Three Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation scholars win prizes at international piano competitions

Teenage pianists supported by the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation have been making their mark at major international competitions. Shin Young-ho, 19, claimed runner-up at an Italian competition, while Lee Jung-woo, 18, and Lee Ju-eon, 15, also posted strong results on European and American stages.

The foundation announced Thursday that Shin, one of its arts scholarship recipients, finished second in the piano category of the 76th Giambattista Viotti International Music Competition, held Saturday (local time) in Vercelli, Italy.

In the final round, Shin performed Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Milan Symphony Orchestra to claim the runner-up prize. The Viotti International Music Competition was established in 1950 to honor Italian composer and violinist Giambattista Viotti.

The result marks Shin's second consecutive year placing at an international competition, following a second-place finish at the Dublin International Piano Competition and a special award at the Pancho Vladigerov International Piano Competition last year. Selected as a foundation scholar in 2023, he currently studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris under Lena Chereshkevska.

"I'm glad to have achieved good results despite a short preparation period," Shin said. "I will show you an even more grown version of myself."

Earlier, Lee Jung-woo won the piano category of the 20th George Enescu International Competition, held in Romania last month.

Lee took first place after performing Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in the final round at the Bucharest Athenaeum on Sept. 19 (local time).

Alongside the top prize, he received five special awards: the Radu Lupu Award for best performance, the best performance of a commissioned work award, the audience award, the Playing for Tomorrow award and the École Cortot award. The École Cortot award also earned him the opportunity to give a solo recital at Salle Cortot in Paris during the 2028–2029 season.

Lee was selected as a foundation scholar in 2022 while attending Yewon School. In 2024, he won the senior category of the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists in Germany and currently studies at the New England Conservatory in the United States under Professor Baek Hye-sun.

Lee Ju-eon, the youngest of the three pianists, also placed at three international competitions held in the United States this year.

After winning the Hilton Head International Piano Competition in March, she claimed first place in the junior category (ages 11–14) of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in June. In July, she took second place and a special award for best performance of a 20th-century work at the Cleveland International Young Artists Piano Competition's junior category.

Selected as a foundation scholar in 2024, Lee won the Osaka International Music Competition last year and performed at the International Steinway Festival in Hamburg, Germany. She is also set to advance to the final round of the Isang Yun International Music Competition next month.

All three pianists have built their experience competing against one another on the international competition circuit since their early teens.

Shin and Lee Jung-woo both advanced to the final rounds of the Cleveland Young Artists Competition in 2023 and the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in 2024. Lee Jung-woo and Lee Ju-eon also placed together at the 2024 Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists.

Foundation scholars have also been collecting prizes in other artistic disciplines. Cellist Park Sang-hyuk finished third at the George Enescu International Competition, baritone Kim Jae-yul received a special award at the Eva Marton Competition, and baritone Kim Seo-won was runner-up at the Seoul International Music Competition.

In ballet, Jeong Geon-se won the grand prix across all categories at the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition. Kim Min-jin took first place in the pas de deux category at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), and Yeom Da-yeon finished second at the 54th Prix de Lausanne.

The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation has supported talent in classical music, ballet and other arts through its CMK Culture and Arts Scholarship since 2011. The program provides scholarships to students from middle school through graduate school, along with opportunities for overseas study, international competition participation, performances and mentoring.

Past beneficiaries include pianists Lim Yun-chan and Seon Yul, and cellist Han Jae-min. Through the first half of this year, the foundation had cumulatively supported about 3,200 people with a total of 13.8 billion won ($10.4 million) in scholarships.

"I am delighted that the scholars' steady efforts — having challenged themselves on the world stage from a young age — have borne meaningful fruit," foundation Chairman Jeong Mu-seong said. "Growth over a long period matters more than a single prize, and the foundation will continue to walk alongside our students with a long-term perspective so they can develop their own artistic worlds."