Jacobs School of Music student wins Monza International Piano Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana University Jacobs School of Music doctoral student Young Sun Choi recently won first prize at the Rina Sala Gallo Monza International Piano Competition.

The biennial competition garnered 96 applications from around the world and accepted 32 competitors.

Choi, who earned a master’s degree from the Jacobs School of Music, currently studies piano with Distinguished Professor Arnaldo Cohen, Rudy Professor of Music (Piano). She is pursuing a minor in collaborative piano with Anne Epperson.

“The Piano Department could not be more thrilled and is proud of Young Sun Choi, student of Arnaldo Cohen, for winning first prize at this most prestigious international competition,” said Norman Krieger, chair of the department.

“Young Sun is an inspiration to all Jacobs School of Music students,” said Cohen. “Her outstanding talent developed with intelligence and hard, painstaking work is the reason behind this huge accomplishment. We are so proud of her—a true Jacobs champion!”

In addition to the City of Monza first prize of 15,000 euros, Choi won the Chopin Prize of 1,000 euros, Audience Prize of 2,000 euros, Best Soloist with Orchestra Prize and a series of concert opportunities.

Born in 1993, Choi graduated from Yewon School and Seoul Arts High School under the tutelage of Jung Won Moon. She then studied with Aviram Reichert and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University.

An associate instructor at the Jacobs School, Choi’s additional awards include first prize at the American International Paderewski Piano Competition in Los Angeles, second prize at the Franz Schubert and Modern Music International Chamber Music Competition in Austria and third prize at the Lyon International Piano Competition in France.

She has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Korean Broadcasting System Symphony Orchestra, Kazan Chamber Orchestra “La Primavera,” Prime Philharmonic Orchestra and IU Symphony Orchestra.

The hallmark of the Jacobs School of Music piano program has always been its distinguished faculty, who come from all over the world and offer many different philosophies and schools of piano playing.