Cellist Lee Young-eun (left), violinist Kim Gye-hee (center) and tenor Son Ji-hoon each won their respective division at the 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition of Russia. (Competition's official website) 

By Yun Dahee 

Domestic musicians have won the violin, cello and voice categories at the 17th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia, one of the world's top three music contests, with Korea winning its first title in the event's instrumental music category. 

The competition's official website on June 29 in its results said violinist Kim Gye-hee and cellist Lee Young-eun won their respective categories. 

A graduate of Yewon School in Seoul, Kim moved to the U.S. while a student at Seoul Arts High School. She studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and Seoul National University (SNU), and eventually earned a master's degree from the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich in Germany. 

Now a student at the Tianjin Juilliard School in China, Lee is a graduate of Sunhwa Arts High School in Seoul and SNU. 

Tenor Son Ji-hoon, whose victory was announced the next day, was the third Korean to win a gold medal in the vocal category following the 2011 wins of bass Park Jong-min and soprano Seo Sun-young.

Son studied at Korea National University of Arts in Seoul and Bavarian Theatre Academy August Everding in Germany. 

As one of the world's top three music contests along with the International Chopin Piano Competition in Poland and the Queen Elisabeth Competition of Belgium, the quadrennial Tchaikovsky event gives awards in piano, violin, cello, male and female vocals, woodwinds and brass. The latter two categories were added in 2019. 

In this year's competition, eight Koreans advanced to the finals and won prizes. In voice, bass Jeong In-ho was runner-up with two Russian singers, and pianist Ye Su-ah placed fourth and flutist Kim Ye-sung tied for third in their respective categories. Cellists Park Sang-hyeok placed third and Lee Dong-yeol fifth. 

daheeyun@korea.kr