Sehyeok Son from the Republic of Korea Wins the piano category of the 77th Prague Spring International Music Competition
The winner of the piano category of the 77th Prague Spring International Music Competition is the eighteen-year-old Sehyeok Son from the Republic of Korea. Second and third places were awarded to Zhiquan Wang and Xuehong Chen from China. “I feel very refreshed. And what will I remember most? The charming personality of the conductor. I had always thought conductors were intimidating and very strict. But he proved to me that this is not the case,” said the winner Sehyeok Son, who performed Johannes Brahms’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in the final round. “Brahms’s First Piano Concerto is fantastic; it is almost like chamber music. It requires a very delicate balance between the piano and the orchestra, and I think Sehyeok Son managed that brilliantly,” said Chairman of the Jury Daniel Browell in praise of the winner.
Overview of prizes awarded
1st Prize Sehyeok Son (Republic of Korea)
2nd Prize Zhiquan Wang (China)
3rd Prize Xuehong Chen (China)
- Honourable Mentions of the Jury awarded after the second round: Ziye Tao from China and Junho Cha from the Republic of Korea
- Audience Prize: Zhiquan Wang
- Czech Music Fund Foundation Prize for the best performance of a work composed for the Prague Spring IMC 2026 – Afro pour piano by Kryštof Mařatka: Ziye Tao and Zhiquan Wang from China
- Viktor Kalabis and Zuzana Růžičková Prize: Sehyeok Son
- Prize of the City of Prague: Sehyeok Son
- Bärenreiter Prize: Sehyeok Son
- Oleg Podgorný Prize for the most successful youngest Czech participant in the competition, awarded by the Artist’s Life Foundation: Eliška Tkadlčíková
- Czech Centres Prize for the most successful Czech participant in the competition: Eliška Tkadlčíková
- Gideon Klein Foundation Prize for the most successful Czech participant: Eliška Tkadlčíková
- Performance at the 82nd Prague Spring International Music Festival in 2027: Sehyeok Son
The performances of the three finalists during the final evening, which took place on 14 May in the Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and conductor Petr Altrichter, are available to watch on the Prague Spring YouTube channel @PragueSpringFestival. The winner was decided by a jury comprising Daniel Browell (United Kingdom) – Chairman of the Jury, Joonas Ahonen (Finland), Dina Yoffe (Latvia, Germany), Leonel Morales (Spain), Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń (Poland), Martin Kasík (Czech Republic) and Ivo Kahánek (Czech Republic).
The second and final rounds of both the flute and piano categories were streamed live and remain available as recordings on the Prague Spring YouTube channel. As of today, they have exceeded 40,000 views. Partners of the competition were the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the City of Prague and the ČEZ Foundation.
