Chinese violinist Luo Chaowen wins Isangyun Competition

Chinese violinist Luo Chaowen won first prize at this year's Isangyun Competition on Saturday, performing Brahms' Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 with the Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, led by conductor Christoph Poppen.

Luo was followed by South Korean violinist Park Eun-joong. Park also took home the UNESCO Creative City of Music Special Prize decided by audience votes. Tongyeong was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Music in 2015.

The third prize went to South Korean violinist Jake Dongyoung Shim, who also won the Isang Yun Special Prize for best interpretation of the late composer’s Violin Concerto No. 3 (1992).

The fourth prize went to Rino Yoshimoto from Japan.

The Seong-Yawng Park Special Prize, given to promising young Korean musicians, went to Baik Se-yeon from Korea.

Organized by the Tongyeong International Music Foundation, Isangyun Competition was launched in 2003 in remembrance of the renowned Korean composer Yun I-sang (1917-1995). Three disciplines -- piano, violin and cello -- alternate annually, and applicants must be aged between 15 and 31.

This year’s competition, held from Nov. 2 to Saturday, received applications from 140 violinists from 26 countries.

Luo, born in 2001 in China, graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China.

“I want to thank my parents, teacher, jury, friends and audience for supporting me. It was a pleasure to meet with other participants here. My time in Tongyeong was very special,” Luo said while accepting his prize at the award ceremony held at Tongyeong Concert Hall in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, on Saturday.

Luo won multiple awards at various international competitions last year. He won third prize at the Tchaikovsky International Competition 2023, the Jade Medal at the China International Violin Competition 2023, and second prize at the Qingdao International Violin Competition.

"It was a great honor to experience the performances of young and talented musicians during the competition. I extend my deep admiration for the dedication and hard work of all the participants, and I wish them success and good fortune on their future musical journeys. I was also greatly impressed by the meticulous and efficient organization of the event by the organizers, in addition to the outstanding skills of the participants," said Mihaela Martin, Chairperson of the Jury.

Previous winners of the Isangyun Competition include pianist Chung Kyu-bin (2023), cellist Han Jae-min (2022), violinist Karisa Chiu (2021) and pianist Lim Yunchan 2019). Lim went on to win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, becoming the youngest person ever to win the prestigious competition at age 18.

Closing this year's competition, the winners’ concert took place Sunday at the Bucheon Art Center in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.

The 2025 competition will be held in the discipline of cello.