The results are in from the 2nd Korea International Harp Competition. Valerio Lisci of Italy was awarded the top prize in the young professional division, which included 14 harpists from countries around the world. From March 28-29, 2018, contestants competed for a cash prize, a solo recital at the 2020 Korean Harp Festival, and a full-tuition scholarship to the Elizabeth Hainen Harp Colony at Curtis Summerfest. The junior division was won by Eve Lung (China), while Xinyue Zhang (China) took home first prize in the youth division. The jury was chaired by composer Don Freund and included Elizabeth Hainen, Florence Sitruk, Naoko Yoshino, and Irina Zingg as judges. Co-directed by Jung Kwak and Maria Luisa Rayan, the competition “aims to discover and promote new talents from around the world,” and hopes to “help young musicians become world class harpists by providing a stage for them to congregate and share their passion.” The competition was held in tandem with the 4th Korean Harp Festival, which continues until April 1, 2018.
Young Professional Division (born before 1987)
1st prize: Valerio Lisci (Italy)
2nd prize: Johannes Willemze (Netherlands)
3rd prize: Se Hee Hwang (Korea)
4th prize: Nagisa Tanaka (Japan)
5th prize: Anna Ellsworth (USA)
Junior Division (born before 2001)
1st prize: Eve Lung (China)
2nd prize: Haley Wong (Hong Kong)
3rd prize: Kaitlyn Yu Xin Tan (Singapore)
4th prize: Dorothy Sum Wai Lee (Hong Kong)
5th prize: Melissa Kim (USA/Korea)
Youth Division (born before 2007)
1st prize: Xinyue Zhang (China)
2nd prize: Tiffany Wong (USA)
3rd prize: Elizabeth Jiyu Yoon (USA/Korea)
4th prize: Aimee Hang Yu Lam (UK)
5th prize: Yuet Kan (Hong Kong)
For more information, visit http://kihc.net/.
