Japanese Pianist Wins Top Prize In French Piano Contest
A Japanese pianist and a South Korean musician have won the top prize in an international music competition in France.
Kamei Masaya and Lee Hyuk were awarded the first prize on Sunday in the piano category of the Long-Thibaud-Crespin international competition.
The contest started in Paris in 1943 and is widely viewed as a gateway to success for young musicians.
Kamei, who is 20 years old, is from Aichi Prefecture and began playing the piano at the age of four.
He studies at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, one of Japan's leading music institutes.
He won the top prize in the piano category of a Japanese music competition in 2019.
Kamei said it feels like a dream, and he is happy with the result of his efforts.
He is the seventh Japanese to earn the title. A Japanese pianist won the previous competition in 2019.
His co-winner said he can't believe it, and he will continue to hone his skills as a musician.
Another Japanese finalist, Shigemori Kotaro, finished fourth.