South Korean pianist Jeongwoo Lee, 18, has won first prize in the piano section of the 2026 George Enescu International Competition. The final took place on 19 September 2026 at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, where the three finalists played with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Daniela Candillari.
Lee played Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, in the final. The first prize is worth 15,000 euros, and he also received five special prizes: the Radu Lupu Prize for the best interpretation of a work by Enescu (3,000 euros), the prize for the best interpretation of the imposed work, Hammers and Tongs by Karim Al-Zand (2,000 euros), the Audience Prize (1,000 euros), the Playing for Tomorrow Prize offered by BRD Groupe Société Générale (1,500 euros), and the École Cortot Prize, a recital at the Salle Cortot in Paris in the 2028-2029 season.
Second prize (10,000 euros) went to Yiming Guo of China, and third prize (5,000 euros) to Pin-Hong Lin of Taiwan. The jury was chaired by pianist Lilya Zilberstein.
Lee studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston with HaeSun Paik. In 2024 he won first prize at the Ettlingen International Piano Competition in Germany.
Source: George Enescu International Competition, Nine O’Clock