YCA / Korean Concert Society Prize

2013 | Ji, Piano

Dec. 3, 2013

The Kennedy Center

Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “a gifted young pianist who is clearly going places,” 22-year-old Ji has a compelling musical presence and a career that began at the age of ten, when he was the youngest pianist to win the New York Philharmonic’s Young Artists Competition, resulting in a performance at Avery Fisher Hall under Maestro Kurt Masur. He studied at the Music Preparatory Division of the Mannes College with Yuri Kim, and later at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College with Yoheved Kaplinsky. He is currently working with Choong-Mo Kang at The Juilliard School.

Mar. 30, 2014

The Kennedy Center

Discovered by the general public at the age of 12 on the radio (France Musique), Raphaël Sévère currently ranks as one of the most brilliant representatives of the French school of clarinet. Raphaël Sévère received a very early musical education: the piano, the violin and the cello. Aged 8, he took up the clarinet at the Conservatoire of Nantes while continuing studying the piano. A 14, he was admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique of Paris with unanimous acclaim from the jury. He obtained in June 2013 the master’s degree with high honors.

Nov. 18, 2015

The Kennedy Center

Cellist Sang-Eun Lee won the 2014 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and First Prize at the 2014 YCA Auditions in Seoul, Korea, and at 15, she won First Prize at the 2009 Johansen International Competition in Washington, D.C., Second Prize at the 2009 International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, and the Young Musician Prize of the Emanuel Feuermann Competition in Berlin.

Apr. 9, 2018

The Kennedy Center

Korean pianist Dasol Kim brings “a refined artistry of incredible maturity” to his performances (North Germany Review). A sought-after soloist, he has appeared with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic in Seoul, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Berlin Chamber Orchestra, the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Concerto Budapest, and the Belgium National Orchestra.

Apr. 29, 2018

The Kennedy Center

At the age of 15, Nathan Lee’s budding career has already earned critical praise as well as standing ovations for performances of stunning musical maturity. Nathan won First Prize in the 2016 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, also picking up fourteen performance prizes.

Steven Banks is the first saxophonist to capture First Prize at the Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions (2019).

Mar. 4, 2019

The Kennedy Center

Korean Concert Society prize-winner SooBeen Lee has been called “Korea’s hottest violin prodigy” (Hancinema). She has already appeared as soloist with every major Korean orchestra, including the Seoul Philharmonic, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, and KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) Symphony Orchestra. She won First Prize at the 2013 Moscow International David Oistrakh Violin Competition and First Prize at the 2014 Young Concert Artists International Auditions.

Jan. 16, 2020

The Kennedy Center

At the Young Concert Artists auditions in New York in November 2017, pianist Do-Hyun Kim was selected as the winner of the Korean Concert Society Prize.

Feb. 7, 2023

The Kennedy Center

Hailed by the Washington Post as a young artist with “boundless potential” who can “already hold his own with the best,” pianist Aristo Sham has dazzled audiences on five continents in countries ranging from Singapore and Argentina to Slovenia, Morocco, and throughout the United States.