Emerging Artist
Seohyun Kim
Violinist Seohyun Kim, who became the youngest winner at the age of just 14 when she won the Tibor Varga International Competition in 2023, has made her name known as a rising star on the international stage. Prior to this, she had already taken the first prize at the Ysaÿe International Music Competition and Leonid Kogan International Violin Competition in 2021, and the Cooper International Competition in 2022, again as the youngest ever.
Born in 2008 in Seoul, South Korea, Seohyun performed as a soloist with orchestras and chamber ensembles at the age of eight. She was the semi-finalist as the youngest participant at the age of eleven in Menuhin Competition 2021, which was her first entrance to the international music stage. She debuted with the Kumho Young Artist Concert in 2020 and, in 2021, she performed in Hungary with the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra with Maestro Gilbert Varga, and collaborated with numerous prestigious orchestras in South Korea and abroad, including Canton Symphony Orchestra in the United States, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Bursa Symphony Orchestra in Turkey, Korean National Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestra, Jeonju Philharmonic Orchestra, Mokpo Philharmonic Orchestra, Daejeon International Music Festival Orchestra, and the Daegu Opera House. In addition, she held her U.S. debut recital at the Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago in 2023, and was invited again to the opening concert of the 2023/24 season of the Canton Symphony Orchestra to perform the world premiere of a piece by composer Jeff Scott.
The 2023/2024 season includes her recitals at the Tongyeong International Music Festival, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, and the Sion Festival. She also performed with Gidon Kremer, Miklós Perényi, and Lorence Power in Kronberg Chamber music festival. In the 2024/2025, She is expected to appear as a soloist with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Jaap Van Zweden. She has also been invited to perform with the orchestras in Spain, the United States, Switzerland, Hungary and across South Korea.
Seohyun is currently studying with Sunny Lee in Seoul Central Conservatory, and she is playing on G.B.Guadagnini(1753), generously sponsored by the Tibor Varga Family.
Bohdan Luts, Emerging Artist 2024
Bohdan Luts was born in Lviv in 2004. He studied at the Kyiv State Music Lyceum in the class of Olga Korinets and at the Lviv State Music Lyceum in the class of Maria Futorska. He is currently a student at the International Menuhin Music Academy in Switzerland in the class of Oleg Kaskiv, Guillaume Chilemme and Renaud Capuçon, and regularly participates in
master classes of famous musicians and teachers such as Gabor Takacz-Nagy, Liviu Prunaru, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Pablo de Naverán, Ivan Vukčević, Jean-Jacques Kantorow and others.
Bohdan has won numerous prizes at international competitions. He was awarded the Grand Prix and First Prize at the International Competition “Lviv Virtuoso” and at the International Competition of Bohdan Varhal “Talents for Europe” in Slovakia and won First prizes and four
special awards at both the III and V International Competition of Young Violinists “I will be a virtuoso” (Poland). In 2015 he won the Second prize at the XVII Kocian International Violin Competition in Czech Republic and in 2017 the Third prize at the X Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition in Belgium. One year later he won the Second prize at the
International Competition “Il piccolo violino magico” in Italy. He won the Third prize at the Lipizer International Violin Competition (Italy, 2021) and, in 2022 at the age of 17, he won the First prize at the prestigious Carl Nielsen International Competition in Denmark and the First prize, as well as the Audience Award, at the 2nd Alberto Lysy International Violin Competition in Gstaad. Furthermore, in 2023 at the age of 18, Bohdan
won the Long Thibaud International Violin Competition as well as the Audience, Press Jury and French Republican Guard Orchestra prizes.
He has played concerts in countries such as Switzerland, Denmark, France, Slovakia, Poland, Italy and Ukraine and participated in many international festivals including the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and the Bellerive Music Festival (France). He has performed as a soloist with the Košice Symphony Orchestra (Slovakia), the Copenhagen Philarmonic, Odense Symphony Orchestra , the Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra Sinfonica di Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Lviv Virtuosos Chamber Orchestra, the Trembita Chamber Orchestra, the INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra, the Kyiv Chamber National Soloists’ Ensemble and others.
He has played with such conductors as Michel Plasson, Anna-Maria Helsing, Taras Krysa, Yaroslav Shemet, Jurek Dybal, Jean Jacques Kantorow and others. Currently, Bohdan has signed a two-year contract with the “ Nordic Artists” management. Forthcoming projects include a solo recording with the Odense Symphony Orchestra for Orchid Classics and solo appearances with top Nordic orchestras.
Incontri in Terra di Siena is honored to have Bohdan Luts featured as its Young Emerging Artist for 2024 and would like to thank Barbara Herman for her generous donation in support of this initiative.
Jae Hong Park, Emerging Artist 2023
We had the chance to welcome the pianist Jae Hong Park, first prize winner of the 2021 Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. In spite of his young age, Jae Hong is already a seasoned solo performer, and we are delighted that he decided to set aside other enticing offers in order to be with us. We can’t wait for him to join the Incontri family and to introduce him to you.