Three top-class prizes at the first PIANO! Piano Competition
The first Münster Piano Competition PIANO! ended on July 11 with the awarding of three top-class prizes.
Lecture Hall H1 was the venue for the festive awards ceremony and the final concert of the three-day competition. Jury speaker Prof. Peter von Wienhardt moderated the evening and, together with Ute Cewe, Managing Director of the sponsoring Münster Foundation of Sparda-Bank West, presented three highly endowed prizes to the winners: Doohwan Lee won the third prize of 2,000 euros, and Dahea Joung, both students in Prof. Michael Keller's piano class, received the second prize of 3,000 euros. The first prize of 5,000 euros was awarded to Kyuho Han from the piano class of Prof. Arnulf von Arnim. The 27 year old combined virtuosity and musical creativity in an excellent way and convinced the jury with Schumann's "Kreisleriana" and Ravel's "Gaspard de la nuit". It will be interesting to see which program Han will choose for the professional video production, also awarded first prize, with which he will be able to present himself at competitions and artists' agencies in the future.
Overall, the field of participants in the piano competition testified to the high level of piano training at the Academy of Music. All six finalists were, in principle, worthy of a prize, with only tiny nuances often making the difference. - Congratulations to all participants, especially to the finalists Junna Iwasaki, Jinseok Maeng and Naho Suzuki and of course to the three prize winners! - We would like to thank the Foundation Münster of the Sparda-Bank West for their generous support of our excellent pianists and are already looking forward to the second PIANO! piano competition in 2023. Piano Competition in 2023, which will then be held throughout Germany.
Here you can watch the PIANO! Prize Winner Concert 2021 can be viewed here.
Kyuho Han, 1st prize winner 2021, plays Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Gaspard de la nuit
PIANO! Piano Competition 2021
More than 100 young pianists study in the piano department of the Münster University of Music. Their quality impresses and proves itself regularly through competition successes, such as the International German Pianist Award (2019), the ARD Music Award (1st prize 2017) and the Horowitz Piano Competition (1st prize 2017), to name only the highest-ranking ones of recent years.
A dedicated piano competition will provide a new, additional forum for the greatest talents of the Münster University of Music and is expected to open even more doors. For the first time in July 2021 and every two years thereafter, the best piano students can compete for attractive sponsorship prizes. The competition conditions meet international standards: 1st prize is endowed with 5,000 euros and a professional video production, 2nd prize with 3,000 euros, 3rd prize with 2,000 euros. The competition is held in two rounds and ends with the prize-winners' concert on the third day. The jury is composed of internationally renowned personalities of the pianist scene.
In 2021 PIANO! was held from July 9 - 11 still under corona conditions. 18 pianists from six piano classes of the Münster University of Music competed in the PIANO! Piano Competition 2021, the admission of external participants had to be waived due to the still valid travel restrictions. The public could register online for defined time slots. The prize winners' concert took place on July 11 in auditorium H 1 at Schlossplatz, with audience on site and broadcast via livestream. The recording can be viewed on the YouTube channel of the University of Music. The programme booklet for the competition is available here as a PDF.
The finalists and prize winners of PIANO! 2021
Kyuho Han (1st prize)
© privat Kyuho Han (27) was born in South Korea and began playing the piano at the age of 9. After years of study and graduation at the Korea National University of Arts (class of Choong-Mo Kang), the University of Music and Drama Munich and the University of Music and Performing Arts Frankfurt am Main, he joined the University of Music Münster in 2019. He is a prizewinner of the "Prague Spring" International Music Competition (2016, 3rd prize) and the "Sendai International Music Competition" (2019, audience prize).
Currently, Kyuho Han is studying in the piano class of Prof. Arnulf von Arnim with the goal of a concert exam.
Programme round 1:- J. S. Bach: Wohltemperiertes Klavier Band 1, Präludium und Fuge cis-Moll
- L. v. Beethoven: Klaviersonate As-Dur Op. 110, 1. Satz
- F. Chopin: Etüde Op. 10 Nr.8
- F. Chopin: Ballade Op. 38 F-Dur
Programme round 2:
- M. Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit
- R. Schumann: Kreisleriana Op.16
Junna Iwasaki (finalist)
© privat Junna Iwasaki (36) is originally from Japan and came to the Musikhochschule Münster after graduating from the University of the Arts in Tokyo and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She is an overseas scholar of the Japanese Cultural Affairs Office and has won numerous international competitions, including 3rd prize at the Schlitz Piano Academy Competition in Frankfurt, the Schumann House Prize, the Rotary Club Scholarship Prize, and the Diploma Prize at the 16th International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Solo and orchestral performances have taken her to Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt and Kuwait, among other places. In 2015, her debut solo album was released and in 2018, her second CD was released by Japan Acoustic Records.
Junna Iwasaki is currently studying in the piano class of Prof. Arnulf von Arnim with the goal of a concert exam.
Programme round 1:- J. S. Bach: Wohltemperiertes Klavier Band 2, Präludium und Fuge f-Moll
- L. v. Beethoven: Klaviersonate f-Moll Op. 57, 1. Satz
- F. Chopin: Etüde Op. 10 Nr. 2
- I. Albéniz: Iberia: Triana
Programme round 2:- F. Händel: Suite Nr. 5 E-Dur
- F. Chopin: Sonate Nr. 3 h-Moll
- C. Saint-Saëns: Etude en forme de Valse op. 52 Nr. 6
- M. Balakirev: Islamey Fantasie Orientale
Dahea Joung (2nd prize)
© privat Dahea Joung (27) was born in South Korea. She received her first piano lessons at the age of four. As a young pianist she won numerous competitions in Korea, at the age of ten she played her first solo concert with the Wonju Philharmonic Orchestra, later she gave a recital for "Young Artists" in Seoul (2011). After graduating from "Seoul Arts High School", she began her bachelor's studies in the class of Prof. Michael Keller at the Academy of Music in 2013, then completed her master's degree at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf in the class of Prof. Paolo Giacometti. In 2016 she won the 1st prize at the "Concorso Internazionale Don Vincenzo Vitti" as the youngest participant, followed by the promotional prize of the piano competition "Steinway & Sons" in 2017. As a pianist, she has already collaborated with the Bergische Symphoniker (2018) and the WDR (2020), among others.
Currently Dahea Joung is striving for her concert exam in the class of Prof. Michael Keller.
Programme round 1:
- J. S. Bach: Wohltemperiertes Klavier Band 1, Präludium und Fuge f-Moll
- L. v. Beethoven: Klaviersonate B-Dur Op. 22, 1. Satz
- F. Chopin: Etüde Op. 10 Nr. 8
- E. Granados: Goyeskas, Nr. 4 “Quejas ó la maja y el ruiseñor"
Programme round 2:- R. Schumann: Humoreske Op. 20
- F. Liszt: Ungarische Rhapsodie Nr. 12
- A. Scrjabin: Klaviersonate Nr. 3 fis-Moll Op. 23
Doohwan Lee (3rd prize)
© privat Doohwan Lee (28) was born in South Korea and received his first piano lessons at the age of 12. Already during his studies with Prof. Young-lan Han and Prof.'in Meehyun-Michelle Ahn at Yonsei University Seoul (South Korea) he won numerous national awards and scholarships. After graduation, he first studied the master's degree "Piano Solo Training" in the class of Prof. Pietro De Maria at the University Mozarteum Salzburg, and then came to Münster to study at the Musikhochschule. He has won numerous competitions, including first prize at the "51st Nanpa Music Competition" in Suwon (South Korea), first prize at the "26th Music Journal Competition" in Seoul (South Korea), and prizes at the "10th Korea Beethoven Competition" and "23rd Suri Music Competition", among others. As a soloist, Doowhan Lee has already performed at the Kumho Art Hall in Yonsei, the Sejong Culture Art Center and the Youngsan Art Hall, among others. As a chamber musician, he is a member of the piano ensemble team "Y-US" in South Korea and can be heard on many stages in the piano trio, quartet and quintet formations.
Doohwan Lee is now studying in the piano class of Prof. Michael Keller with the goal of a concert exam.
Programme round 1:- J. S. Bach: Wohltemperiertes Klavier Band 1, Präludium und Fuge g-Moll
- L. v. Beethoven: Klaviersonate e-Moll Op. 90, 1. Satz
- F. Chopin: Etüde Op. 10 Nr. 10
- C. Debussy: Préludes Band 2, Nr. 8 ,,Ondine’’
- S. Rachmaninoff: Etude-tableaux Op. 39 Nr. 8 d-Moll
Programme round 2:- W. A. Mozart: Klaviersonate B-Dur, KV 570
- J. Brahms: 4 Klavierstücke, Op. 119
- C. Debussy: Préludes Band 2
Nr. 5 "Bruyeres"
Nr. 12 "Feux d’artifice"- S. Rachmaninoff: Prélude Op. 32 Nr. 10
- F. Liszt: Ballade Nr. 2 h-Moll, S. 171
Jinseok Maeng (finalist)
© privat Jinseok Maeng (26) discovered his love for the piano at an early age. After years of study and graduation at the "Seoul Arts High School" and the "Seoul National University" with Prof. Hyungjoon Chang and Prof.'in Minjung Lee, Jinseok Maeng continued his studies with a Master's degree with Prof. Adrian Oetiker at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. He has received numerous awards in Korea and has been heard in many solo recitals and concert performances. As a member of ensembles, he has performed on various stages in Korea, and in Munich, he has performed at the Kleiner Saal im Gasteig and the Allerheiligenkirche am Kreuz, among other venues. In addition, he has participated in various music festivals such as "Euro Arts Festival" in Leipzig, "MusikFest Piano Camp" in Minnesota and "Ticino Musica Academy" in Lugano, where he was able to gain further impulses through master classes with Prof. Gerald Fauth and Prof.'in Sontraud Speidel.
Currently, Jinseok Maeng is studying in the piano class of Prof. Peter von Wienhardt with the goal of a concert exam.
Programme round 1:
- J. S. Bach: Wohltemperiertes Klavier Band 2, Präludium und Fuge fis-Moll
- F. Chopin: Etüde Op. 25 Nr. 10
- L. v. Beethoven: Klaviersonate D-Dur Op. 10 Nr. 3
Programme round 2:- W. A. Mozart: Zwölf Variationen über "Ah, vous dirai-je, maman", KV 265
- C. Debussy: Images Band 1
- E. v. Dohnányi: Vier Rhapsodien Op. 11
Naho Suzuki (finalist)
© privat Naho Suzuki (28) was born in Japan and received her first piano lessons at the age of five. After graduating from the Tokyo College of Music with Prof.'in Atsuko Okada and Chihiro Ishioka, she studied in the Master "Professional Performance" at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen with Prof. Henri Sigfridsson. She has won several awards at competitions, including 1st prize at the "International Moscow Music Competition 2020" and 2nd prize at the "Köhler-Osbahr Competition 2020" in Essen. She was also a semi-finalist in the "PIANALE International Academy & Competition 2018". As a soloist, she has played with orchestras in Japan and Germany, and she is also active as a chamber musician.
Currently Naho Suzuki is studying in the Master "Instrumental Duo with Pianist" with Prof. Henri Sigfridsson at the Folkwang University of the Arts and at the same time she is striving for her concert exam in the class of Prof. Michael Keller at the Musikhochschule Münster.
Programme round 1:- J. S. Bach: Wohltemperiertes Klavier Band 2, Präludium und Fuge G-Dur
- L. v. Beethoven: Klaviersonate As-Dur Op. 110, 1. Satz
- F. Chopin: Etüde Op. 25 Nr. 11
- C. Debussy: Préludes Band 2, Nr. 12 "Feux d’artifice”
Programme round 2:- W. A. Mozart: Klaviersonate D-Dur, KV 576
- F. Chopin: Klaviersonate Nr.3 h-Moll Op. 58
- K. Szymanowski: Variationen b-Moll Op. 3
The Jury of PIANO! 2021
The jury consists of a total of six members, the chairman Prof. Michael Keller (without voting rights) as well as three external and two internal jurors, who we introduce here:
Prof. Michael Keller, Musikhochschule Münster
© Sudi MICHAEL KELLER, born in 1955, comes from a family of musicians in southern Germany. His pianistic education in the time until his Abitur was shaped by Roland Keller and Ludwig Hoffmann. He then studied at the Freiburg University of Music in the master class of Prof. Vitaly Margulis. After his concert maturity examination, he taught at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg until he was appointed professor at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, Abt. Münster in 1988. From 2010 to 2020, he served as dean of the now independent Münster University of Music at the Westphalian Wilhelms University.
In addition to engagements throughout Europe, concerts, lecture recitals, master classes and lectures regularly take him to Japan and Korea. He is a juror at international competitions in Germany, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Japan and Russia.
Michael Keller is dedicated to the pianistic and artistic development of his multinational and award-winning piano class.
Prof. Thomas Günther, Folkwang Universität der Künste Essen
© Elke Schmidt THOMAS GÜNTHER received his artistic training at the Folkwang Hochschule and the Hochschule der Künste Berlin. He also owes important inspiration to the Schnabel students Maria Curcio (London) and Konrad Wolff (New York). In 1980 he was accepted into the German National Academic Foundation, won the renowned Folkwang Competition in 1981, and performed for the first time as a soloist at the Berlin Festival in 1983. In the years that followed, Thomas Günther made his debut at the Berlin Philharmonie with Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto and gave guest performances at other national and international festivals. Concert tours have taken him as far as South America and China.
In addition to the classical repertoire, his program focuses on works by Russian Futurists as well as mostly unknown or forgotten piano music of the German-Jewish exile generation and the circle around Schönberg. Among the composers who entrusted him with world premieres were John Cage ("ONE" for piano), Dieter Schnebel and Juan Allende-Blin. Since the late 1980s, he has been particularly interested in Bach's piano music and in questions of its interpretation on the piano. He appeared with complete performances of the "Well-Tempered Clavier", the "Piano Exercise II" and the "Goldberg Variations" in several major German cities. Repeatedly he held workshops on the subject. The encounter with a "Streicher" fortepiano from 1848 led to renewed intensive study of Franz Schubert's sonata works.
In addition, Thomas Günther is a dedicated chamber musician in various instrumentations. With violinist Johannes Prelle, he performed all of Beethoven's sonatas for piano and violin in the late 1990s. In 2003 Günther founded the nationwide "Rotary Piano Competition Youth", of which he is also artistic director. His CDs have been released on the CRI (New York), Telos, Musicaphon and Cybele records labels. In four different editions, Thomas Günther has recorded works by Russian composers such as Sergei Protopopov, Igor Stravinsky and Alexander Scriabin for Cybele Records from 2009 to 2016. The CD series includes important works from the environment of Russian Futurism, some in world premiere recordings. In 2017 he received the Echo Klassik in the category "Soloistic Recording (Music 20th/21st Century | Piano)".
Prof. Heribert Koch, Musikhochschule Münster
© Sudi HERIBERT KOCH studied music in Cologne, Karlsruhe and London. He attended master classes with Tatjana Nikolajewa and Mieczysław Horszowski, among others, and supplemented his training in London with Peter Feuchtwanger, whom he repeatedly assisted in his master classes. In addition to cultivating the standard repertoire, Koch repeatedly champions less frequently performed works. He is also active as an editor. He has gained special recognition among experts for his first editions of early piano works by César Franck. In the course of his international concert activities, he has made guest appearances in important music centers in Western and Eastern Europe and Australia. His speciality is moderated concerts, in which he leads through the program in several languages.
Heribert Koch is a member of the board of EPTA Germany (European Piano Teachers Association) and held the European presidency of the association in the 2012/13 and 2019/20 event years. He travels internationally as a juror of music competitions and lecturer of master classes, regularly gives lectures at professional congresses and teaches as an honorary professor at the Musikhochschule Münster.
Prof. Elena Margolina, Hochschule für Musik Detmold
© Barbara P ELENA MARGOLINA graduated as a concert pianist from the N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Academy of Music in St. Petersburg and completed her concert examination at the Detmold Academy of Music with distinction in 1996. She has won several prestigious piano and chamber music competitions, including 1st prize at the V. International Schubert Piano Competition. Her teaching activities have taken her to the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover and to international master classes. In 2014, she accepted the position of Professor of Piano at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold. Today, numerous students of Elena Margolina herself stand on the international podiums. They present their artistic skills with great success and win prizes at piano competitions.
Her busy concert schedule takes Elena Margolina all over Europe and overseas, the pianist has appeared as a soloist many times with leading orchestras and renowned conductors. She is a regular guest in the major international concert halls. Elena Margolina has also made numerous television and radio recordings as well as several CDs. Her CD "F. Schubert. Sonata D 959. Moments musicaux D 780" received the SUPERSONIC prize 2008 from the magazine PIZZICATO, Luxembourg. Her last Schubert CD was nominated at the "OPUS KLASSIK" 2021.
Prof. Yumiko Maruyama, Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf
© Sudi YUMIKO MARUYAMA is a lecturer for piano at the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf. The Japanese-born pianist studied at the Toho Gakuen Academy of Music in Tokyo and graduated with distinction from the soloist class of Professor Hans Leygraf in Hanover. Further teachers for her were Tatjana Nikolaeva, Gaby Casadesus, Christoph Lieske and Yevgeni Malinin.
Yumiko Maruyama is a prize winner of various international competitions such as Paloma O'Shea, Santander and Premio Jaen. She performs in chamber music ensembles as well as soloist with orchestra. She has had radio and television recordings with NHK Japan, BBC London, RDF France as well as NDR, Radio Bremen, Rias Berlin and WDR. Piano Duo Recitals by Yumiko Maruyama and her sister Toshiko Maruyama have been critically voted among the "Concert Best 10" in Japan several times. CD recordings by the piano duo have twice been named "Best 3 of the Year" by "Gramophone" and "Gramophone Japan" magazines. Students of Yumiko Maruyama are in turn prize winners of international music competitions and active in teaching at music academies.
Prof. Peter von Wienhardt, Musikhochschule Münster
© Barbara Plenge PETER VON WIENHARDT, born in Budapest in 1966 and raised in Germany, has toured 111 countries as a musician and played in virtually all of the world's famous concert halls. He has won many prizes (including the Cziffra-Liszt, German Music Council, Echo Klassik, etc.) and to date has released 15 recordings, both as a soloist and with orchestras and chamber music artists. His compositions are published by Universal. He is the artistic director of the Internationale Konzerttage Mittelrhein (IKM) and since 2006 holds a professorship for piano in Münster, where he is also the artistic director of the Aaseerenaden Münster.
