Twelve-year-old Han Yeo-jin won the 18th Biwako International Flute Competition in May, beating much older competitors to become the youngest-ever winner with her performance of complex pieces such as Theobald Boehm’s “Grand Polonaise.”

The elementary school student from Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, started playing the flute when she was 5 years old, inspired by her mother who was a flute teacher. Her mother Oh Hyun-suk was hesitant about her daughter’s direction at first, knowing that pursuing music as a career was never easy. But after seeing her daughter’s great potential and, most of all, passion, she became her No. 1 supporter, enrolling her in the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts program at Korea National University of Arts, as well as auditioning her for highly acclaimed performances such as Kumho Prodigy Concert.

Han has already performed at a Spanish convention and will appear at another international flutists’ convention in Japan later this year.

“I really admire Philippe Bernold, a world-class flutist. I once had a chance to join his master class. I don’t really know what I will be in the future but I hope I can get up to that level,” Han said. 

A growing number of youngsters like Han are winning international music competitions, painting a rosy picture for the future of Korean classical musicians on the global stage.

According to the KNIGA, 65 of its students won local or international competitions last year, including the Liezen International Cello Competition, International Balys Dvarionas Competition for Young Pianists and violinists, Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition and Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists.

The students, mostly in their teens or younger, are expected to follow in the footsteps of internationally acclaimed artists such as pianists Paik Kun-woo, Kim Dae-jin and Chung Myung-whun, violinist Chung Kyung-wha, and sopranos Sumi Jo and Hong He-kyung, among others, who have captivated the world with their talent and put Korea on the global classical music map in the early 1980s and 1990s.

The budding generation of musicians was brought up with role models such as pianists Kim Sun-wook, Lim Dong-hyek and Son Yeol-eum, and cellist Chang Han-na, all of whom went on to perform at prestigious concert halls around the world and sign with well-known labels.

These up-and-coming young musicians are armed with not only their natural gift, but also the latest trends and a wealth of information thanks to the Internet, supportive sponsors and teachers, and most of all, confidence.

“I don’t think music circles are the only places that we see talented youths these days,” said Kim Dae-jin, chief of the KNIGA. Kim, who was a piano prodigy himself, returned to Korea in the 1990s to nurture future talent, including Han.

“But the new generation has surely benefited from exposure to the wider world. They listen to world-class musicians’ performances on the Internet and the level of their teachers is higher than before. In a way, they have greater means to refine their techniques and it shows,” Kim said.

Sunwoo Ye-kwon, who at 24 was the winner of the 2013 Sendai International Music Competition after graduating from the internationally-acclaimed Curtis Institute of Music in the U.S., said the doors had opened wider for Koreans. 

“Many of the teachers themselves have studied abroad and have abundant international experience. They can teach new things in a more effective way. And famous musicians are visiting Korea more. I have never thought that being in Korea deprived me of anything in learning,” he said.

Large scale support has increased to assist young talent. Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation has been discovering and supporting young artists in the fields of classical music and the fine arts, organizing concerts featuring distinguished musicians and orchestras from around the world, running education programs and giving free loans of rare musical instruments. It has also been providing airline tickets and scholarships to gifted musicians.

“Had it not been for Kumho, I wouldn’t be where I am,” admitted Sunwoo. “When I applied for my visa to go to Curtis, the American Embassy denied the visa issuance. Kumho stepped in, took the matter into its hands and helped me go to the U.S., kept in touch with me and looked after my career. It has been a great encouragement.”

The KNIGA, which is highly selective in its admissions ― some of the 20 seats for piano students this year were not filled because the professors concluded that there wasn’t enough talent ― has been keen to nurture future master musicians, too. The state-funded school provides one-on-one lessons to 167 students, takes them to concerts, forms orchestras and even helps the students refine their ethics and personality.

And the future classical stars are repaying the support with more confidence and a genuine love for music.

“I don’t really get nervous when I am on stage. I have never really been stressed about competitors and all I really think about is music,” Han said shyly on Friday.

There are, however, concerns that the glittering talent may fade once the youngsters age. Some music watchers warn that they could lose their originality trying to establish a career.

“We must be extremely careful about keeping their raw talent and not trying to teach them a certain way of interpreting music,” said Kim Dae-jin, who said he always looked for originality in students, including Han, who outshined all others at a local audition.

“I see a lot of students here playing music like no one else but as they grow older, they become mindful about rules and others and then become too plain. While students from the West fear that they are playing like everyone else, Korean students tend to be obsessed with playing like others,” he said.

“The best way for Korea to have the future K-classical stars is not to smother them, giving them too much limelight and following their progress in a way that makes them conscious about how other people think,” he said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)