Preisträger 2019

Press

Cunmo Yin wins the International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn 2019

Yuto Takezawa and Shihyun Lee take the second and third places

Cunmo Yin impressed the jury of nine experts headed by Pavel Gililov with a compelling interpretation of Beethoven’s Piano Concert No. 3. The pianists in the final round were accompanied by the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn under the direction of Dirk Kaftan. Each of the three finalists had rehearsed two Beethoven piano concertos in advance of the finals. The selection of the compositions for the final performances was made upon the completion of the semifinal round on December 11.

“I feel very honoured to have won this important prize in Beethoven's native city,” said Cunmo Yin.

Pavel Gililov, president of the jury and artistic director of the competition, underscored the young participants' achievements: "Spreading Beethoven's music throughout the world and inspiring people with enthusiasm for it is the core task of our truly international competition. This is demonstrated not least by our prizewinners. They come from China, Japan and South Korea. The fact that the finalists master the European musical language at such a remarkably high level is, among other things, the result of the international efforts of the competition.”

The CEO of Deutsche Telekom, Timotheus Höttges, once again emphasizes the importance of the competition: "The Competition was a fitting prelude to the Ludwig van Beethoven Anniversary Celebration 2020. We experienced a truly exciting competition crowned with a high-caliber final. I would like to thank all participants and congratulate the winners on their extraordinary performances. They all are contributing to the preservation of the incomparable beauty and brilliance of Ludwig van Beethoven's oeuvre.”

The first-prize winner will receive 30,000 euros, while the second-prize and third-prize winners will receive 20,000 and 10,000 euros, respectively. In addition to these awards, prize winners will also receive numerous opportunities to perform in solo recitals and as soloists with orchestras around the world. More than 40 concert engagements in 11 countries, over the coming two seasons, have been arranged for the competition winners, including piano recitals in the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Gewandhaus Leipzig, the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, and the Chamber Music Hall of the Beethoven-Haus, not to mention appearances at the Kissinger Sommer 2020 and in the piano series ”Young Stars of Classical Music” in Kirchheimbolanden. Two concert tours, one comprising seven concerts in South Korea and one consisting of 11 concerts in Germany, are also scheduled. The tour in Germany is being sponsored in association with the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn (Bonn Philharmonic Orchestra). Yuto Takezawa also received the Audience Prize of 3,000 euros which is awarded to the best pianist in the final round of the competition.