Jeonghwan Kim Wins 2023 Sydney International Piano Competition

Piano+ has announced the winners of the 2023 Sydney International Piano Competition (The Sydney).

Following four intense concerts with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House during the week including the electrifying final session held on Saturday 22nd July, pianist Jeonghwan Kim was announced the winner of the Ernest Hutcheson First Prize, receiving $50,000 cash.

Jeonghwan Kim said, “It means so much to me to win such a prestigious competition. To win first prize is such a rewarding experience, and a motivation to go further and explore more. I was really glad that I was able to connect with the audience, and to share beautiful music during the competition.

The Percy Grainger Second Prize was awarded to Uladzislau Khandohi, with Yungyung Guo receiving the George Frederick Boyle Third Prize.

Reuben Tsang won the Nancy Weir Best Australian Pianist award.

The Sydney's Artistic Director Piers Lane AO said, “The consistently high level of the 32 competitors selected from 250 applications for this year's competition shows clearly that the top young pianists in the world value The Sydney as a master piano competition.

“The six finalists all revealed strong and different personalities and musical approaches and the results reflect the seven international judges' majority opinion on who best combines deep and original musicianship and pianism, with the ability to communicate and to make music in both solo and ensemble situations.

“Jeonghwan Kim, we have a very complete pianist and artist – quite extraordinary for a young man who turned 23 during the Competition. His virtuosity is astounding, his accuracy in the most complex passages breathtaking. But his The Poet Speaks from Schumann's Scenes of Childhood brought tears to my eyes. He's got it all. He will be the perfect ambassador for The Sydney”.

32 pianists from 16 countries competed in this year's competition which ran over three weeks in July.

One of the world's leading competitions of its kind, The Sydney's competitors were awarded a total prize pool of $207,500 in cash prizes.

As First Prize Winner, Jeonghwan Kim will have the following engagements:

• A national tour of Australia from 25th July to 5th August, supported by a grant from the Bequest of Harry Colligan and Lionel Hann.
• A recital for the Australian Festival of Chamber Music.
• An invitation to be Artistic Director of one edition of Out West Piano Fest.
• A recital at Wigmore Hall in London.
• A recording on the Hyperion Records label.
• A digital release immediately after the competition and a double CD release taken from the live recordings during the competition on the Decca label.
• A concert engagement at the Bard Music Festival, New York.
• A recital for Music in the Studio Dubai Opera.
• A concert engagement for the Amigos de Música Os Agostas Portugal.
• Career development package from YCAT/CAG.

The Sydney International Piano Competition 2023 winners:

Ernest Hutcheson First Prize 

Jeonghwan Kim

Percy Grainger Second Prize 

Uladzislau Khandohi

George Frederick Boyle Third Prize 

Yungyung Guo

William Murdoch Fourth Prize 

Yuanfan Yang

Arthur Benjamin Fifth Prize 

Wynona Yinuo Wang

Noel Mewton-Wood Sixth Prize 

Vitaly Starikov

Eileen Joyce Best Overall Concerto

Jeonghwan Kim

Roy Agnew Best 18th Century Concerto

Yungyung Guo

Miriam Hyde Best 19th/20th Century Concerto

Jeonghwan Kim

Hephzibah Menuhin Best Sonata with Violin and Piano

Wynona Yinuo Wang

Geoffrey Parsons Best Sonata with Cello and Piano

Vitaly Starikov

Una Bourne Best Accompanist Prize

Vitaly Starikov

Edward Cahill Best Preliminaries Round 1 Recital

Uladzislau Khandohi

Isador Goodman Best Preliminaries Round 2 Recital

Junlin Wu

Ignaz Friedman Best Semi Final Recital 

Uladzislau Khandohi

Geoffrey Tozer Most Promising Pianist not Proceeding to the Finals

Carter Johnson

Nancy Weir Best Australian Pianist 

Reuben Tsang

Malcolm Williamson Best Performance of an Australian Piece

Junlin Wu

Rex Hobcroft People's Choice

Wynona Yinuo Wang

Rhondda Gillespie Best Performance of a Twentieth-Century work 

Denis Linnik performing Frank Bridge: 2 Solos for Piano H.54 and Boris Lyatoshinsky: 5 Preludes Op.44

Best Program Presentation in the Semi Final

Carter Johnson

Best Encore in the Semi Finals

Uladzislau Khandohi

Medal Given to the Most Promising Competitor

Reuben Tsang