Seo Yebin, School of Music, Placed 2^nd at Cluj International Music Competition 2025

Seo Yebin, an alumna of the Department of Instrumental Music at the School of Music, won second place at the Cluj International Music Competition 2025 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Seo won 11,000 RON (approximately 3.49 million KRW) and a 4,000 EURO (approximately 6.46 million KRW) voucher from Buffet Crampon, a renowned wind instrument manufacturer, and the opportunity to perform with the Arad State Philharmonic Romina in the 2025-2026 concert season.

The Cluj International Music Competition is co-organized by the Georghe Dima National Music Academy and the Notes & Ties Cultural Association in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

The competition was originally held under the name of Georghe Dima International Competition through its 12^th edition, beginning with its founding in 1984. After many years of hiatus, it was reformed as a biennial wind instrument competition in 2011.

Since 2019, the competition has been held under its current name, with two sections: flute and clarinet.

This year, the event was open for young musicians aged 34 and under. One hundred four clarinetists advanced to the semi-final round after preliminary video-recording screenings. Three finalists were selected through two rounds of competition held from July 6 to 9.

The final stage took place on July 11 at the Cluj-Napoca Auditorium, where Seo performed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto in A Major KV. 622” with the Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra.

Seo Yebin debuted in 2016 through the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series. She gave her recital at the Kumho Young Artist Concert in 2019 and performed as a member of Prima Quintet at the Kumho Young Chamber Concert in 2022.

Seo placed third at the International Clarinet Competition Ghent 2024, first at the Dong-A Music Competition, first at the Sungjung Music Competition, and earned the silver prize at the KBS KEPCO Music Competition. She also won the on-campus K-Arts Audition, consistently proving her excellence as a clarinetist. She is currently studying at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in France.