Yunchan Lim Wins Opus Klassik Instrumentalist of the Year as Youngest Individual Honoree

Pianist Yunchan Lim has won the Instrumentalist of the Year award at Germany's Opus Klassik music awards. The winning release is his album Bach: Goldberg Variations, which was released in February.

This year's Opus Klassik drew more than 680 album and project submissions from around the world. Lim was named the youngest among this year's individual winners. Other instrumentalists selected alongside him include violinist Christian Teclaf and horn player Sarah Willis.

Korean Pianists Win the Same Category for a Second Consecutive Year After Seong-Jin Cho

With Lim's selection, Korean pianists have now won the same Opus Klassik category for two years in a row. Last year, pianist Seong-Jin Cho received the Opus Klassik Instrumentalist of the Year award for Ravel: Complete Solo Piano Works, and Lim has now followed him as a winner in the same category.

Opus Klassik, launched in 2018, is one of Germany's leading classical music awards and succeeds the former Echo Klassik awards. It is organized by Germany's classical music promotion association, with major figures from the music world taking part in the selection of performers and recordings that have achieved notable results.

After Gramophone and BBC Honors, Lim Adds Opus Klassik

Lim has recently continued to build a record of awards on the global classical stage. Last October, with Chopin: Études, his first studio album on the Decca label, he became the first Korean pianist at the Gramophone Awards to win both the piano category recording award and the Young Artist of the Year award at the same time.

Earlier, at the BBC Music Magazine Awards, he also won a total of three categories, including Recording of the Year.

October Ceremony in Berlin, With Ravinia, BBC Proms and Verbier Performances Ahead

The Opus Klassik awards ceremony and gala will be held on October 10 and 11 at Konzerthaus Berlin in Germany.

Lim will continue his overseas performance schedule. Starting next month at the Ravinia Festival in the United States, he is scheduled to appear in collaborative performances at the BBC Proms opening concert in the United Kingdom and at the Verbier Festival.