The prodigiously talented Shuan Hern Lee adds another international win to his résumé.

Shuan Hern Lee, an intrepid 11-year-old from Dianella in Western Australia, has won the US$5000 Laureate prize (Outstanding and Greatest Achievement Prize) at the Sberbank Debut International Music Competition in Ukraine. His father, Yoon Sen Lee, took out the US$1000 Best Teacher Award.

For pianists aged 14 and below, this year’s competition received over 100 applications from around the world. With a shortlist of 15 young pianists selected to take part, all competitors were required to perform two programs at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy in Kiev. In the first round, Shuan Hern performed the first movement of Mozart’s Sonata K311, Chopin Barcarolle Op. 60, Impromptu by Lysenko and his own composition, Horses in the Wild.  In the second round, Shuan Hern’s performance of the first movement of Grieg’s Piano Concerto was accompanied by the National Symphonic Orchestra of Ukraine under the baton of Maestro Vladimir Sirenko.

The panel of seven adjudicators were made up of esteemed international concert pianists, including Artist Director  and past winner of the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, Denis Matsuev .

No stranger to the competitive arena, Shuan Hern already boasts a wealth of firsts...