Violinist Chung Nu-rie wins 2nd prize at Paganini Competition

Violinist Chung Nu-rie, 16, came in second place at the 56th International Violin Competition Premio Paganini.

According to the Korea National University of Arts on Wednesday, Chung won second prize at the latest Paganini Competition held in Genoa, Italy. He also won two other special prizes, including one for the youngest finalist and one for the best performance of a contemporary piece in the semifinal round.

The competition, founded in 1954 and named after the legendary Italian violinist and composer Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840), is a prestigious event for young violinists, along with the International Queen Elisabeth Competition held in Belgium. Violinists aged 15 to 31 are eligible to participate.

This year Giuseppe Gibboni from Italy won the top prize, while Ava Bahari of Sweden and Lara Boschklor of Germany shared the third prize.

The competition is well regarded in South Korea since violinist Yang In-mo rose to fame after winning in 2015 at the age of 19, also taking home the two special prizes that Chung won this year.

Chung has been studying with violinist Kim Nam-yoon at the Korean National Institute for the Gifted in Arts since 2014.

He won the Il Piccolo Violin Magico in Italy in 2016 and the 2016 Euroasia Young Violin Competition in Japan.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)