South Korean teenager won the 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas – The 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, widely regarded as one of the most prestigious events for showcasing the talents of the world’s finest pianists, was won by a pianist from South Korea who is just 18 years old.
The 18-year-old Yunchan Lim won the competition, earning a gold medal along with $100,000 and three years of individualized career management at the event that was hosted in Fort Worth on Saturday.
Lim is the youngest ever winner of the gold medal.
The 31-year-old pianist, Anna Geniushene, from Russia came in second place, while the 28-year-old Ukrainian citizen, Dmytro Choni, received the bronze medal.
Lim said he will have to wait until he returns to Korea to decide what to do with everything included in the first-place award and will consult with his teacher on the steps that should be taken for his professional career.
Both Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37 and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, op. 30, were included in Lim’s winning performance.
The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is usually held once every four years. The competition that was held this year was supposed to take place the previous year, but like many events across the country, it was postponed because of the pandemic.