South Korean pianist scoops top prize of $15,000, with Australia’s Dong Yi Lee a close second place.

South Korean pianist Dong-Wan Ha has been named the winner of New Zealand’s Kerikeri International Piano Competition, receiving $15,000 NZD in prize money. 26-year-old Australian pianist Dong Yi Lee came a close second, receiving $8000.

Dong-Wan Ha, who studies in the United States, entered the competition on a whim, as it fitted with his school holiday to visit his family. New Zealand is a common waypoint for travel between the U.S. and Korea, so Dong-Wan Ha decided to extend his stop over to compete in the KeriKeri.

Born in 1988, he is a recipient of a special combined Artist Diploma in both piano performance and collaborative piano from the Cleveland Institute of Music.  He is currently studying at Northwestern University for his PhD. Earlier this year he won first prizes in Delia Steinberg International Piano Competition in Spain and Neue Sterne International Piano Competition in Germany.

The talented pianist plans to visit Sydney briefly before heading on to South Korea.