Albums by pianists Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yunchan and violinists Kim Bomsori and Park Sueye listed for 2026 ICMA Awards, slated to be announced in March
Four prominent Korean classical musicians have been nominated for the 2026 International Classical Music Awards, underscoring the growing global profile of Korean performers across major categories.
Recordings by pianists Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yunchan, along with violinists Kim Bomsori and Park Sueye, were named among the 307 audio and video productions selected this year. The nominations span 18 countries and 101 labels, with the final list including productions that were proposed by at least two jury members.
Lim Yunchan, 21, was nominated in two categories. His August release "The Seasons," on the Decca label, is shortlisted in the Solo Instrument category. Violinist Park Sueye, 25, also appears in this category with her sixth album, “Echoes of Exile,” released in August and featuring works by Bartok, Ben-Haim, Enescu and Ysaye. Park, who won the 2025 Sibelius Competition, has released six albums since her debut at age 16 in 2017.
Lim additionally earned a nomination in the Concerto category for his recording of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, conducted by Marin Alsop. Captured during the final round of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the performance has become the most-viewed concerto video in the world, surpassing 18 million views on YouTube.
In the same Concerto category, Cho Seong-jin, 31, was nominated for his album “Ravel: The Piano Concertos,” released by Deutsche Grammophon and recorded with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons. This is one of the 2015 Chopin Competition winner's two Ravel albums along with "Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Works," released in January.
Violinist Kim Bomsori, 35, is nominated for her DG release of Bruch’s Violin Concerto, recorded with the Bamberg Symphony and conductor Jakub Hrusa.
The ICMA is one of the most wide-ranging and internationally representative awards in the classical music field. Composers and musicians from Korea have been steadily gaining recognition in recent years. Notably, composer Chun Unsuk won the ICMA Award for Contemporary Music in 2025.
The winners will be announced in January, with the awards ceremony to follow in Germany in March.
gypark@heraldcorp.com
