Chaewon Kim Wins Grand Prize at Korea National Opera Vocal Competition... Four Winners Emerge Among 65-to-1 Odds

[Financial News] At the 25th Korea National Opera Vocal Competition, hosted and organized by the Korea National Opera, soprano Chaewon Kim received the Grand Prize, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award.
According to the Korea National Opera on the 31st, the competition, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the SeAH Lee Woon Hyung Cultural Foundation, was held on the 28th at the Art Hall of the Seocho Cultural Arts Center.
This year, 261 people applied, including 240 domestic and 21 overseas participants, for a competition rate of about 65 to 1. Ten finalists selected through the preliminary rounds competed with accompaniment by the Korea Coop Orchestra, led by conductor Ji Joong-bae.
Kim, who received the Grand Prize and 10 million won in prize money, graduated from the Korea National University of Arts and completed the 6th class of the Korea National Opera Young Artists Program. She is currently pursuing a master's degree at the Cologne University of Music and Dance in Germany.
The gold prize, the SeAH Lee Woon Hyung Cultural Foundation Award, and 7 million won went to baritone Jo Wonjun, who is studying at the Parma Conservatory. The silver prize and 5 million won went to tenor Hanseong Kim, a graduate of Yonsei University and a member of the 9th Korea National Opera Young Artists Program, while the bronze prize and 3 million won were awarded to Chinese baritone Junkan Zhu, a graduate of the advanced performance program at the Berlin University of the Arts Hanns Eisler.
Ok Sang-hoon, a professor at Kookmin University and chair of the judging panel, said the participants generally delivered performances of a high standard. He emphasized that not only a good voice, but also the ability to control and use it musically, as well as phrasing that brings out the flow of a work, are important. He also advised singers to choose repertoire that suits them and to naturally reflect their interpretation of the character and situation in their voice.
The final round was livestreamed through the Korea National Opera's online streaming service, KNOmyOpera, and will later be available free of charge as video on demand (VOD).
 
[email protected] Shin Jina Reporter