At 18, pianist wins Enescu title and five special prizes

Eighteen-year-old pianist Jeong-woo Lee has won the piano division of the 2026 George Enescu International Competition, receiving five special prizes alongside the title, including the audience award.

In the final on 19 September at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, Lee performed Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra. He progressed from a field of 50 in the main competition to a three-person final and was the youngest of this year’s piano prizewinners.

His additional honours included the Radu Lupu Prize for the best interpretation of Enescu’s music and an award for his performance of a commissioned work. Together with the audience award, they recognised different aspects of his playing, beyond the winning final performance.

Founded in 1958, the competition honours Romanian composer and violinist George Enescu and seeks to discover emerging musicians. It takes place every two years, with contests in piano, violin, cello and composition.

Lee now studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston. The result follows another early achievement: in 2024, he became the youngest winner of the senior division at the Ettlingen International Competition. Reflecting on his latest competition experience, Lee said he had learned and grown both musically and personally, and intended to keep studying and devoting himself to music.