Tae Hyung Kim from Korea has won the First Prize and Audience Prize. He received his prize and trophy from Petula Clark, the president of Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition. Michelle Candotti, 16 from Italy took Second Prize and the Trophy for the Youngest Finalist. Jean Paul Gasparian, 17 from France came in Third.The HASTINGS INTERNATIONAL PIANO CONCERTO COMPETITION is a prestigious piano contest which takes place annually, the "jewel in the crown" of the Hastings Musical Festival, founded in 1908.
Tae-Hyung Kim, who has been praised as “a pianist with the ability to create brilliant sounds and honest music”, and “who presents exquisite and flowing performance”, made his international debut in October of 2004 when he became the first Korean to receive 1st prize in addition to winning the Best interpretation Prize of Beethoven Sonata at the City of Porto International Piano Competition. In the same year, he received second prize in the Jeunesses Musicales International Piano Competition and was awarded in a number of prestigious competitions including Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in 2006 and Long-Thibaud International Competition in 2007. His superb feats continued in 2008, topping all others at numerous international competitions such as Interlaken Classics international Competition in Bern, Concours International de Musique du Maroc and Concours Grand Prix Animato. And in march 2013, he won the 1st Prize and the Audience Prize at the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition in Great Britain.
In 2010, he achieved fifth place at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium, which is widely acknowledged to be one of the top three major piano contests in the world, and captivated classical music fans home and abroad. Since then Kim has expanded his activities by performing with leading Korean orchestras like KBS Symphony Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Korean Chamber Orchestra, and Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, not to mention prominent international orchestras including Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo, National Orchestra of Belgium, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Porto National Orchestra, and Morocco Philharmonic Orchestra.
