Home > Entertainment > Music & Performance

Cellist Lee You-bien wins International Isangyun Competition

Published: 10 Nov. 2025, 15:12

Cellist Lee You-bien, who took first place at the International Isangyun Competition, is seen after the competition at the Tongyeong Concert Hall in South Gyeongsang on Nov. 8. [TONGYEONG INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FOUNDATION]

Cellist Lee You-bien took first place at the International Isangyun Competition, which concluded on Saturday at the Tongyeong Concert Hall in South Gyeongsang.

Lee performed Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 with the Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, conducted by Czech conductor Leos Svarovsky, to win the top prize.

A graduate of the Korea National University of Arts, Lee also studied in Freiburg and Berlin, Germany.

The competition, held from Nov. 1 to Saturday, drew 137 applicants from 23 countries. Lee Je-ri finished second; Andrew Il-hoon Byun of Canada came in third; and Choi A-hyeon took fourth place.

The Park Seong-Yawng Special Prize went to Lee Je-ri, the Unesco City of Music Special Prize was awarded to Lee You-bien and the Isang Yun Special Prize for the performance of the composer’s work went to Byun.

Launched in 2003 to commemorate composer Isang Yun, the annual competition alternates among cello, piano and violin, and joined the World Federation of International Music Competitions in 2006 — the first in Korea to do so.

“The artistic level of these young musicians from around the world was remarkable,” said Arto Noras, Finnish cellist and chair of this year’s jury.

The prizewinners performed on Sunday at the Gwangju Arts Center Grand Hall.

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-JOUNG [[email protected]]