Contemporary music composer Unsuk Chin, who has drawn international attention, has been named the grand prize winner of the Daewon Music Award. Pianist Yekwon Sunwoo received the Performance Prize, while violinist Kim Seo-hyun won the Newcomer Award.
The Daewon Cultural Foundation announced the winners of the 14th Daewon Music Award on Tuesday.
Grand prize winner Chin is regarded as the most notable Korean composer on the world music scene since Isang Yun. She has received the Grawemeyer Award, often called the Nobel Prize of composition, in 2004, along with the Arnold Schoenberg Prize, the Bach Prize of Hamburg, and the Léonie Sonning Music Prize. Last year, she received the prestigious Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, and this year she became the first Korean to win the Spanish BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Music and Opera category. She currently serves as artistic director of the Tongyeong International Music Festival and Taiwan's Weiwuying International Music Festival.
Performance Prize winner Sunwoo has built an active international career since winning the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2017. He has also won major international competitions including the International German Piano Award, the Vendome Prize, and the Sendai International Music Competition. After signing an exclusive contract with the Decca label, he released "Mozart" and "Rachmaninoff, Reflections," and recently released his third studio album, "Liszt."
Newcomer Award winner Kim, currently 17 years old, rose to prominence after becoming the youngest-ever winner of Switzerland's Tibor Varga International Competition in 2023. She has also set youngest-winner records at the Ysaÿe International Music Competition, the Leonid Kogan International Competition, and the Thomas and Evon Cooper International Competition. She recently signed an exclusive contract with Harrison Parrott, a leading global classical music management firm, and is set to make her debut on major overseas stages including Lucerne and Wigmore Hall during the 2026-2027 season.
The grand prize winner receives 100 million won in prize money and a plaque, while the Performance Prize and Newcomer Award winners each receive 30 million won and a plaque. The awards ceremony will be held on June 8 at the Grand Ballroom of the Chosun Hotel in Seoul.
Established in 2006, the Daewon Music Award was created to recognize musicians who have contributed to the development of Korea's classical music scene. Past grand prize winners include Myung-whun Chung, Kun-woo Paik, Sumi Jo, Kyung-wha Chung, Seong-jin Cho, and Yeol Eum Son.
