Cellist Han Jaemin Becomes the Youngest Winner and Violinist Wee Jaewon Achieves Runner-Up in George Enescu International Competition

Cellist Han Jaemin (14 years old), a student currently enrolled in the first year of Instrumental Music School of Music, became the first prize winner in cello at George Enescu International Competition (George Enescu Festival) held on 15 May 21. Also, violinist Wee Jaewon, who earned a bachelor’s degree in our university, became the second prize winner in the competition held on 19 May 21. This festival is a biennial event that began in 1958 to commemorate great composer and violinist George Enescu (1881-1955). It is one of the biggest music competitions in East Europe.

Cellist Han, born in 2006, wrote a new history of becoming the youngest winner of the 64 years of George Enescu Festival. He received a reward of 15,000 EUR and earned an invitation to this festival in 2022 and various playing opportunities. Han had completed the program in the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts (KNIGA). And this year, he entered the undergraduate program in the School of Music as a gifted student. Cellists Jeong Myung-Hwa, Lee Kang-ho, and Kim Minji are his instructors. Earlier in his musical career, Han conquered domestic and international music competitions. He swept first prizes in Sung Jung National Music Contest in 2014, Osaka International Music Competition in 2015, David Popper International Cello Competition in 2017, and International Dotzuer Competition for Young Cellists in 2019.

Violinist Wee Jaewon studied with violinist Kim Nam-Yun in the undergraduate program of the School of Music. And she had also completed the program in the KNIGA. In this competition, a 10,000 EUR cash prize for the runner-up went towards Wee. So far in her musical path, Wee achieved 3rd placement in International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2012 and 2nd placement in Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition in 2013. Then in 2014, she won 5th placement in Junior in Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. She also won Ishikawa Music Academy Music Award in 2015.

Apart from them, pianist Kim Su-Yeon, who had also graduated from the KNIGA, won the Concours Musical International de Montreal (CMIM) held on 14 May 21. Kim left for Austria to study abroad when she was in the School of Music, taking lessons from pianist Kang Choong-Mo. Notably, her winning was for the first time for Korean pianists.

Image Copyright © 2020/2021 George Enescu International Competition / Photo: Andrei Gindac