ROCHESTER, NY — Igor Lovchinsky, a 17-year-old Russian immigrant who now lives in Gahanna, Ohio, was chosen as the first-place winner last night in the Eastman School of Music’s Sixth Annual Young Artists International Piano Competition. The competition, part of Eastman’s Summer Piano Festival, is for talented young students ages 14-18; this year, nearly two dozen competitors from the United States and several foreign countries (including Saudi Arabia, Romania, Korea, and China) took part in the five-day competition.
As top winner, Lovchinsky receives a $10,000 annual scholarship to Eastman (upon satisfying all admission requirements) and a $4,000 cash prize. The second-place winner was Hong Xu, 18, from the People’s Republic of China, who receives a $1,500 cash prize. Third-place winner Yoonjung Han, 17, of Edison, NJ, receives a $500 cash prize.
The three winners of the competition will present a special gala concert at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, July 27, in Eastman Theatre. General admission to the concert — which typically attracts an audience of more than 1,000 — is $5 per person. Tickets are available one hour before concert time at the theatre box office only. For more information call 585-274-1100.
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Note to editors: A group photograph of the winners is available.