Pianist Son Yeol-eum named grand prize winner of Daewon Music Awards

The Daewon Cultural Foundation, which marks the 20th anniversary of its establishment on Wednesday, announced the winners of its 13th music prize -- pianist Son Yeol-eom, violinist Kim Bomsori and pianist Lim Yunchan.

Returning after four years of a pandemic-induced hiatus, the foundation selected Son as the grand prize winner, while violinist Kim Bomsori was selected for the Daewon Music Award for performance.

In February 2021, Kim, the winner of many international competitions including the 2013 ARD International Violin Competition, became the first Asian female artist to sign an exclusive contract with the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label.

The Daewon Music Award for a new artist went to Lim, the 2020 scholarship recipient of the Daewon Cultural Foundation and the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022.

The grand prize winner receives a plaque and a cash prize of 100 million won ($73,000), while the winners of the performance prize and the new artist award each receive a plaque and 30 million won.

The foundation established the Daewon Music Awards in 2006 and has continued to recognize classical music artists and/or organizations that make great accomplishments both domestically and internationally.

Previous winners of the grand prize include conductor Chung Myung-Whun, the Korea National University of Arts, pianist Paik Kun-Woo, Kang Dong-Suk and the Seoul Spring Festival of Chamber Music, Kang Hyo and Music in PyeongChang, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, soprano Jo Sumi, violinist Chung Kyung-wha, bass Youn Kwang-chul, conductor Kim Min, pianist/conductor Kim Dae-jin and pianist Cho Seong-jin.

“The Daewon Music Award, aimed at encouraging and promoting the musical activities of the finest musicians by awarding them, held its 12th ceremony until 2019 and then paused (the awards) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation has felt regret that musicians could not perform during this time but has applauded their efforts to study new ways of communicating with audiences and leap into a new era,” the foundation said in a statement on Wednesday.

The awards ceremony will take place at 5:30 pm on May 20 at The Westin Josun Seoul.