18-Year-Old Pianist Jungwoo Lee Wins George Enescu Competition, Sweeps Five Special Prizes
Cellist Sanghyuk Park also wins third prize
The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation announced on September 20 that pianist Jeongwoo Lee (18), a scholarship recipient of the foundation, won first place in the piano category at the ‘2026 George Enescu International Competition’.
On September 19 (local time), Jeongwoo Lee took first place in the final round held at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, Romania, where he performed Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Daniela Candillari.
Jeongwoo Lee showcased his extraordinary talent by sweeping a total of five special prizes: the Radu Lupu Award for the best interpretation of an Enescu piece, the Special Prize for Best Performance of the Commissioned Piece, the Audience Award, the Special Tomorrow’s Play Award, and the Cotot Special Prize named after French pianist Alfred Cortot, who was a colleague and friend of Enescu.
The George Enescu Competition was founded in 1958 to commemorate George Enescu, a Romanian composer and violinist, and to discover new musical talents. The competition is held every two years in four categories—composition, cello, violin, and piano—and has established itself, alongside the George Enescu Festival, as a world-class musical event.
Earlier, on September 7, cellist Park Sanghyuk (22), also a scholarship recipient of the foundation, placed third in the cello division, marking a joint achievement by two of the foundation’s culture and arts scholars at this year’s competition. In the 2021 edition, foundation scholar cellist Han Jae-min won as the youngest ever, and violinist Wi Jae-won was the runner-up, making it two awardees that year as well.
Born in 2008, Jeongwoo Lee became the youngest prizewinner in the piano category at this competition. While attending Yewon School in 2022, he was selected as a scholarship recipient of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation and entered the New England Conservatory (NEC) in Boston, USA, as an overseas scholarship student last year. He is currently studying under Professor Hae-Sun Paik. In Korea, he studied under Professor Soo-Jung Shin and was recognized early on for his musical talent as a Kumho Young Artist. In 2024, he won first prize as the youngest winner in the senior division of the Ettlingen International Competition.
Jeongwoo Lee commented, “Through this competition, I gained a wide range of experiences and was able to learn and grow both musically and personally. I would like to express my gratitude to the foundation and will continue to devote myself to music and study even harder in the future.”
Park Sanghyuk has attracted attention by winning major international competitions, including third place at the Tchaikovsky Competition, second place at the Penderecki Competition, first prize at the David Popper Competition, and a special prize at the Prague Spring International Competition. In 2021, while enrolled at the Korea National University of Arts, he was selected as a cultural and arts talent by the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation and is currently studying abroad as a scholarship recipient at the Reina Sofia School of Music in Madrid, Spain.
Park Sanghyuk said, “I am grateful to my teachers, my family who accompanied me on this long journey, and everyone at the foundation. I will work hard to become a performer who brings even better music to the audience.”
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Other cultural and arts talents recognized by the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation include pianist Yunchan Lim (youngest-ever winner of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition), ballerina Yum Dayeon (runner-up, 2026 Lausanne Competition in Switzerland), double bassist Yoo Siheon (winner, 2025 ISB International Competition; winner, 2024 Bottesini International Competition), violinist Kim Hyunseo (youngest third place, 2025 Paganini International Competition; youngest runner-up, 2024 Viotti International Music Competition), pianist Shin Youngho (runner-up, 2025 Dublin International Competition), pianist Seonyul (first prize, 2024 Seoul International Music Competition; winner, 2024 Gina Bachauer Competition), violist Shin Kyungshik (winner 2024 Max Rostal International Competition; runner-up, Prague Spring International Music Competition), and cellist Han Jaemin (winner, 2022 Isang Yun International Music Competition; youngest winner, 2021 George Enescu Competition), among others.
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