Pianist Park Jin-hyung wins joint second at Rubinstein competition
Pianist Park Jin-hyung won joint second place at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition on Tuesday, the best result any Korean pianist has achieved at the competition.
The 30-year-old tied for second with Belarusian pianist Uladzislau Khandohi at the 18th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, held in Tel Aviv, Israel. Russian pianist Dmitry Yudin took first place and Ukrainian pianist Roman Fediurko placed third.
"I'm happy to have gotten a good result in a competition that went on longer than usual," Park said in a statement. "I also feel a sense of liberation at having finished a roughly five-month journey."
Park will receive $20,000 in prize money.
The Rubinstein competition is open to pianists between the ages of 18 and 32. The final round had originally been scheduled for May but was postponed to September because of the war in the Middle East.
Founded in 1974 to honor the musical legacy of Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982), one of the 20th century's greatest pianists, the competition is held once every three years. Past competitors include Emanuel Ax, Kirill Gerstein, Igor Levit, Khatia Buniatishvili and Daniil Trifonov, along with a number of Korean star pianists — Park Jong-gyung placed third in 1998, Son Yeol-eum in 2005 and Cho Seong-Jin in 2014.
Park has racked up wins at major competitions at home and abroad, including first place at the 2016 Prague Spring International Music Competition. He made his debut in 2009 through the Kumho Young Artist Concert series and has performed on a range of stages since. He studied at Yewon School, Seoul Arts High School and Yonsei University, then earned a master's degree under Israeli classical pianist and conductor Arie Vardi at the Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media in Germany.
BY CHOI MIN-JI [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]
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