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Korean violinists sweep top three prizes at Japanese competition

Published: 30 Mar. 2026, 17:08

Korean violinists took the top three prizes at the Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition in Japan. From left, violinists Lee Hyeon-jeong, Choi Joo-ha and Lim Hae-won [KUMHO CULTURAL ART FOUNDATION]

Korean violinists took the top three prizes at the Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition in Japan.

A 16-year-old violinist, Lee Hyeon-jeong, won first place in the final round of the 10th Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition held on Saturday in Nagoya. Second place went to Choi Joo-ha, and third place to Lim Hae-won, the Kumho Cultural Art Foundation said on Monday.

The first prize includes 2 million yen ($12,500) and a three-year loan of a 1697 Antonio Stradivarius violin known as “Rainville.”

Lee, who debuted through the Kumho Prodigy Concert in 2022, won the Leonid Kogan International Competition the same year and was the youngest runner-up in the violin category at the 2024 George Enescu International Competition.

“It is a great honor to be awarded such a fine instrument,” Lee said. “I will repay this with deeper and more meaningful music.”

Both Choi and Lim also debuted through the Kumho Prodigy Concert.

Choi has won several domestic competitions, including the Dong-A Music Competition, the Busan Music Competition and the Ewha & Kyunghyang News Concours.

Logo of the Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Lim has taken top prizes at competitions such as the Tokyo Euro Asia Youth International Competition, the Ewha & Kyunghyang News Concours and the Dong-A Junior Music Competition.

Second place includes 1 million yen and a loan of the 1764 “Ex Mintz” violin by Michael Angelo Bergonzi, while third place includes 500,000 yen and a 1765 Nicolo Gagliano violin.

Launched in 2007, the Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition is an international event that supports young violinists through financial assistance and performance opportunities.

The competition selected 16 finalists through preliminary rounds held in January and February. Five advanced to the final after the semifinals held between Wednesday and Thursday.

Previous Korean prize winners include Yang In-mo, who took the second prize in 2013, Lee You-jin, who took the third prize in 2015 and second in 2023, Kim Gye-hee, who received the first prize in 2017 and Lee Jae-ook, who took third in 2017.

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 CHOI MIN-JI [[email protected]]