Pianist Kim Se-hyun, 18, won first place in the piano division at the 2025 Long-Thibaud International Competition, which concluded on March 30 in Paris, France. According to the Kumho Cultural Foundation on March 31, Kim performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 30 alongside the French Republican Guard Orchestra conducted by Bastien Stil at the Théâtre national de l’Opéra-Comique in Paris, securing the top spot.
The competition saw 32 pianists advance to the finals through a video audition. After the primary round and semifinals held from March 25 to 28, five pianists, including South Korean Kim Se-hyun and Lee Hyo, made it to the finals. No second-place winner was awarded, and the third place was claimed by Lee Hyo, also 18. Masaharu Kambara from Japan and Ma Tiankun from China shared the fourth place, while Eric Guo from Canada secured the fifth place.
Kim Se-hyun will receive a prize of 35,000 Euros (approximately 56 million KRW). All winners, including Kim, will be invited to perform at over 10 prestigious music festivals worldwide, such as the Monte Carlo Opera, the Versailles Royal Opera, the Gstaad New Year Festival, and the Lyon Chopin Association.
The Long-Thibaud International Competition was founded in 1943 by renowned pianist Marguerite Long and violinist Jacques Thibaud. It features piano, violin, and vocal sections every one to three years for young musicians aged 16 to 33. It has maintained its international reputation with participation by global musicians like Yehudi Menuhin, Martha Argerich, and Nelson Freire.
Notable South Korean recipients in the piano category include Lim Dong-hyek (1st place, 2001), Kim Jun-hee (2nd place, 2007), Ahn Jong-do (2nd place, no 1st place awarded, 2012), and Lee Hyuk (joint 1st place, 2022). In the violin category, Shin Ji-a (1st place, 2008) and Yoo Da-yun (2nd place, 2023), and in the vocal category, bass Sim Ki-hwan (1st place, 2011) have also been recipients.
Kim Se-hyun debuted at the Kumho Young Artist Concert in 2018. He gained attention in 2023 by winning the first prize, the Audience Award, and the Youth Jury Award at the Cleveland International Youth Piano Competition. He studied under Shin Su-jeong and Choi Young-mi before moving to the U.S. Currently, he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English literature at Harvard University and a master’s degree in piano at the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Dang Thai Son and Baek Hyun-seon.