Lee Ha-neul, 20, has secured first place in the composition category at the prestigious 2026 Geneva International Music Competition (Concours de Genève). Along with the top prize, she also won all six special awards.
On November 11, local time, at the finals held at Victoria Hall in Geneva, Switzerland, Lee achieved victory with her orchestral piece 'Stuff #1.'
In addition to the first place in composition, Lee swept six special awards: the Audience Award, the Young Audience Award, the Student Award, the Nikati de Luz Award, the Basel Sinfonietta Award, and the Premier Musical Award.
Founded in 1939, the Geneva International Music Competition is a globally recognized event that has discovered over 800 musicians in its 80-year history. Lee's winning piece 'Stuff #1' was performed by the Swiss Romande Orchestra under the baton of German conductor Mats Thiersch.
Lee is a young composer studying at the Korea National University of Arts. She has already made a name for herself on both domestic and international stages, winning the youngest first place in the composition category at the Central Music Competition and triumphing at the Bartók World Composition Competition in Hungary. She has also begun to explore traditional Korean orchestral compositions. Last June, she premiered her first traditional Korean orchestral piece 'Unselected Ambient loops 25-25' with the Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra at the Sejong Center and was appointed as a resident composer for the orchestra on the same day.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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