Junyoung Choi Succeeds at the Seoul International Music Competition
Junyoung Choi, a 29-year-old baritone in Ralf Lukas’s voice class, was awarded third prize at the 2026 Seoul International Music Competition. The prize is worth US$ 20,000. The prestigious South Korean music competition was founded in 1996 and is held annually, rotating among the three categories of piano, violin, and voice.
Born in South Korea in 1996, Junyoung Choi first completed his vocal training with a bachelor’s degree at the Korea National University of Arts in Seoul before coming to Berlin in 2024 to begin his master’s studies at the Eisler School of Music.
He has already received numerous awards at prestigious music competitions, including the Korea National Opera Competition, the Korea Broadcasting System Music Competition, the Daegu International Vocal Music Competition, the AsLiCo Vocal Competition, the Concorso Viotti, the Concorso Salvatore Licitra, the Concorso Franco Bonisolli, and the Concorso Piero Capuccilli.
On the opera stage, he has already appeared in roles such as Belcore in “L’elisir d’amore,” the Count in “Le Nozze di Figaro,” and Figaro in “Il barbiere di Siviglia.” He also sang the title role in “Falstaff” as part of a tour for the “Opera domani” educational project and appeared as Scarpia in “Tosca” at the Teatro Sociale di Como. There, during the current season, he will sing the title role in Verdi’s “Macbeth” and also make his role debut as Renato in “Un ballo in maschera.”