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Korean cellist Ha-Young Choi won first place at the Belgian Queen Elizabeth Competition, one of the world's top three classical music competitions.
After performing on the last day of the finals in the cello division of the 'Queen Elizabeth Competition' held in Beaux Arts, Brussels, Belgium, Hayoung Choi was called first in the announcement of the winners.
Ha-Young Choi is the first Korean to win the Cello category.
In this final, which started on the 30th of last month, a total of 12 people advanced.
The finalists performed an unreleased piece by German musician Jörg Wittmann, specially composed for this competition, and then performed a concerto of their choice with the Brussels Philharmonic.
After graduating from Kronberg Academy in Germany, Hayoung Choi has won the Brahms International Competition and the Ksystov Penderecki International Cello Competition.
The Queen Elizabeth Competition is considered one of the world's top three music competitions along with the Chopin Piano Competition in Poland and the Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia.
The winner will be awarded directly by Queen Mathilde of Belgium at an awards ceremony to be held in the future, and a cash prize of 25,000 euros (approximately 34 million won) will be awarded.
(Photo = provided by Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation, Yonhap News)