Korean pianists win second, third prizes at ARD International Music Competition in Munich

Two Korean pianists won second and third prizes at the ARD International Music Competition, which concluded Sunday in Munich.

Elias Ackerley, a 24-year-old who holds dual citizenship in Korea and Britain, wins second place at the ARD International Music Competition 2025. [KUMHO CULTURAL FOUNDATION]

Korean pianists won second and third prizes at the ARD International Music Competition, which concluded Sunday in Munich.

Elias Ackerley, a 24-year-old who holds dual citizenship in Korea and Britain, took second place, while Yang Ji-won, aged 23, won third.

Ackerley, born to a Korean mother and British father, began playing piano in Korea at the age of 5. He debuted in 2023 with the Kumho Cultural Foundation’s Young Artist Concert series and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Juilliard School in the United States. At this year’s competition, he also received the prize for best interpretation of the commissioned work and a special award from the Munich Chamber Orchestra.

Yang studied at Yewon School and Seoul Arts High School before graduating from the Mannes School of Music in New York, where she is now enrolled in the master’s program. She debuted in 2012 through the Kumho Young Prodigy Concert series and placed third at the 2019 Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition.

Yang Ji-won, aged 23, wins third place at the ARD International Music Competition 2025. [KUMHO CULTURAL FOUNDATION]

First held in 1952, the ARD competition is one of the world’s largest classical music contests, encompassing 21 categories, including instrumental, vocal and chamber music.

Past Korean laureates include conductor Chung Myung-whun, who won second prize in 1973, and pianist Suh Hai-kyung, who took third in 1983. Pianist Sohn Jung-bum became the first Korean pianist to win the competition in 2017. Other Korean winners include soprano Hwang Su-mi, who won second in 2012; the Novus Quartet, which also won second in 2012; and violist Lee Hae-sue, who won first in 2023.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM HO-JEONG [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]