Winners announced for the 2026 Ysaÿe International Music Competition

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The final rounds of the eighth edition of the Ysaÿe International Music Competition (YIMC) took place from 10–11 July at the Icheon Art Hall in Icheon, South Korea. Candidates were divided into two categories according to age. Finalists in the senior category’s concerto round were accompanied by the Gunpo Prime Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Cho Jung-Hyun.

In the senior category for violinists up to the age of 33, the first prize was awarded to US violinist Christina Nam, 23. She receives €5,000 as well as the one-year loan of a violin from Florian Leonhard Fine Violins and a concerto engagement with the Gunpo Prime Philharmonic Orchestra.

The second prize was won by Japanese violinist Tetsutaro Nakatani, 17, receiving €2,000 and a sound adjustment service from Florian Leonhard Fine Violins, and the third prize of €1,000 by Belgian violinist Vilmos Csikos, 29. Csikos was also awarded the €500 Ysaÿe Prize.

Nam has attended the Juilliard School on a full scholarship from the Green Foundation Fellowship, studying with Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein. Her previous teachers include Kurt Sassmannshaus, Amy J. Lee and Jan Mark Sloman.

Among her accolades, she was a recipient of the Juilliard School’s Peter Menin Prize and a prize-winner at the 2017 Cooper International Violin Competition,. In she 2025 was announced as a Young Artist for the Center for Musical Excellence and as a laureate of the YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. Nam has participated in festivals including the Perlman Music Program, Meadowmount School of Music, Aspen Music Festival and the Verbier Festival Academy where she was the recipient of the 2025 Prix Reyl award.

In the junior category for violinists up to the age of 13, the first prize of €1,000 and a violin bow went to Chinese violinist Yalan Jin, 13, and the second prize of €500 and a violin case to Korean violinist Sena Lee, 11. The €300 third prize was jointly awarded to Chinese violinist Yuexuan Shen, 11, and US violinist Jacob Sun, 12, along with sets of strings.

This year’s jury was chaired by YIMC artistic director Ashot Khachatourian and comprised Hrachya Avanesyan, Andrey Baranov, Ensik Choi, Alexandre Feye, Gabriel Gheorghe, Stefan Jackiw, Philippe Koch, Kara Nam, Erez Ofer, Joel Smirnoff, Kirill Troussov and Philippe Lehaen.

The competition celebrated the results on social media:

‘This year’s finalists demonstrated exceptional artistry, technical excellence and musical maturity, making the jury’s task particularly challenging. We warmly congratulate all prize winners for their extraordinary achievements and extend our sincere admiration to every finalist for reaching this prestigious stage of the competition.

‘May this recognition be the beginning of many new artistic opportunities and an enduring source of inspiration for your future musical journey.’