Tongyeong - ISANGYUN Competition

The ISANGYUN Competition, established in 2003 to honor the world-renowned composer Isang Yun and to discover and nurture the next generation of musicians, is now accepting applications for its 2026 edition.

The competition alternates annually among piano, violin, and cello disciplines, and this year’s competition will be held in the piano discipline. Applicants of all nationalities born between November 1, 1996 and October 31, 2011 are eligible to apply.The application deadline is Friday, July 31, and finalists will be announced on Friday, August 28. 

The competition will take place from Saturday, October 31 through Sunday, November 8, 2026. Detailed information regarding repertoire requirements and application materials is available on the competition’s official website.

For participants residing outside Korea, round-trip international airfare will be provided. All participants will also receive accommodation and meals at designated lodgings from Friday, October 30, 2026 until the end of the official schedule. Finalists will perform with the Tongyeong Festival Orchestra conducted by Daejin Kim, professor at Korea National University of Arts. 

In addition to the main prizes from first through fourth place, the competition will present the Isang Yun Special Prize, the Seong-Yawng Park Special Prize, and the UNESCO City of Music Special Prize. The total prize money amounts to KRW 74 million. Prize winners will also perform at the Winners’ Concert held at Busan Concert Hall on November 8.

The preliminary and final rounds will be judged by an internationally distinguished jury chaired by Klaus Hellwig of Germany. Other jury members include Ariel Cohen, Katsunori Ishii, Dasol Kim, Jinsang Lee, David Mareček, Julian Martin, Xiaohan Wang, and Peter von Wienhardt.

At the previous piano edition in 2023, Korean pianist Kyubin Chung won first prize, while Songhyeon Kim received second prize as well as the Seong-Yawng Park Special Prize and the UNESCO City of Music Special Prize. Third prize went to Youl Sun, and fourth prize was awarded to China’s Jiarui Cheng. Japanese pianist Misora Ozaki received the Isang Yun Special Prize.

Previous piano editions of the competition have also produced internationally acclaimed artists, including Sofya Gulyak, winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition 2009; Dasol Kim, currently a professor at Seoul National University; William Youn, now a professor at Korea National University of Arts; and Yunchan Lim, the youngest-ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 2022.

In the cello and violin disciplines, the competition has also produced internationally recognized laureates such as Narek Hakhnazaryan, winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition 2011; Yu Chien Tseng, winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition 2012; and Jaemin Han, who won third prize at the Geneva International Music Competition 2021. Through these achievements, the competition has established itself as one of Asia’s leading international music competitions.

In 2006, the Isang Yun International Competition became the second competition in Asia and the first in Korea to be admitted as a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, a member of the International Music Council, an NGO official partner of UNESCO.