The 76th Concours de Genève Composition Competition wrapped up on Wednesday 26 October, with First Prize, worth CHF 15,000, awarded to Shin Kim (27, from South Korea) for his work The Song of Oneiroi, for six voices and microphones.
Yuki Nakahashi (26, Japan) took Second Prize for Settings, for vocal ensemble. Third Prize was awarded to Ármin Cservenák (26, Hungary) for his work Madrigali, for six voices.
Candidates for the 2022 Composition competition were required to submit a work for vocal ensemble, composed for six singers: bass, baritone, tenor, mezzo-soprano, soprano and coloratura soprano. The finalist works were performed as a world premiere by the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart.
Since its creation in 1939, the Concours de Genève’s mission has been to discover, promote and support the best young artists of the moment. As well as the official prizes, the Geneva International Music Competition offers a Prizewinners’ Career Development Programme, providing the support and guidance needed to launch a career. The programme includes two years of management by the Sartory Artists agency, as well as recordings, international tours and a professional training workshop.
Shin Kim is a student at Korea University of the Arts in Seoul, where he is completing a master's degree: he has also studied with the Austrian composer and sound artist Karlheinz Essl. In his work he distinguishes three major themes: religion, narrative and psychological phenomena.
In The Song of Oneiroi, Shin Kim tells the story of the dream world, drawing on pronunciation systems from various languages and using microphones to amplify and diversify his music.
Shin Kim pic: Anne-Laure Lechat