Jung Eun Séverine Kim wins James Mottram International Piano Competition

Jung Eun Séverine Kim has won the 2023 James Mottram International Piano Competition (JMIPC), held at the RNCM between 27 November and 2 December.

The South Korean pianist, who studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover, performed Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 in G major Op 58 to secure the £10,000 First Prize and Audience Prize.

The £5000 Second Prize was awarded to Israeli Alon Kariv, for his performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No 1 in E minor Op 11, while Croatian pianist Jan Nikovich took the £2500 Third Prize with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 23 in A major K 488.

All finalists were accompanied by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Domingo Hindoyan.

Graham Scott, JMIPC Artistic Director and Head of Keyboard Studies at the RNCM, added: ‘This year’s JMIPC drew more than 90 applications from around the world of which 30 were selected for the live rounds in Manchester. After a preliminary round and a semi-final, three supremely gifted pianists were selected for the concerto final with the RLPO, and we were delighted to award First Prize to Jung Eun Séverine Kim  for her monumental performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concert No 4.’

The James Mottram International Piano Competition is a major biennial event that offers an all-round learning experience for young pianists from all over the world, mixing opportunities to perform on the concert platform with a series of masterclasses given by a distinguished international jury. It is thanks to a generous bequest from the late James Mottram that the RNCM is able to present the competition.

Throughout the week, jury members gave masterclasses to all participants who didn’t make the final, alongside members of the RNCM’s School of Keyboard Studies.

4 December 2023