Baritone Kim Gi-hoon wins BBC Cardiff Singer competition

Baritone Kim Gi-hoon / Courtesy of TLi Art Center

By Park Ji-won

Baritone Kim Gi-hoon has won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition held in the United Kingdom, Saturday, local time. This is the first time that a Korean won the main award at the competition, which started back in 1983.

BBC announced that the biennial contest chose Kim as the winner this year. He received 20,000 pounds ($27,623) in prize money and the Cardiff Trophy. The competition drew 16 competitors from 15 countries. Along with Kim, bass-baritone Park Ju-sung, also competed in the event.

There are three categories of the show; "Singer of the World," or main prize, "Song Prize" and "Audience Prize." Baritone No Dae-san (1999) and bass Park Jong-min (2015) have been winners of the "Song Prize" category.

"It has been an inspiring journey ― and one that I will definitely remember for the rest of my career," Kim was quoted as saying by BBC after his victory.

David Jackson, artistic director of the competition, was quoted as saying by BBC, "This year's edition was one of the most extraordinary in BBC Cardiff Singer of the World's history. It was heart-warming to witness the dedication, resilience, and focus of all the 16 competitors as they prepared for their performances in unprecedented circumstances, and then gave their all on stage. We thank them for sharing their inspiring artistry with audiences all over the world, and we wish Gihoon Kim the best of luck for his future career."

Kim, 29, started singing in his late teens. Graduating from Yonsei University and attending the Hannover University of Music, he has been winning local and international singing competitions which include the second prizes at the 16th Tchaikovsky Competition for vocal (2019) and the 2019 World Opera Competition.

Meanwhile, his next recital will be held at TLi Art Center, Gyeonggi Province on July 8, where he will be singing Tchaikovsky's "Don Juan's Serenade"; composer Kim Dong-hwan's "Longing Heart"; composer Kim Joo-woon's "Like the Wind that met with Lotus" and H. Wolf's "Verborgenheit."

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