Jueon Lee (left), age 14 (South Korea) — Second Prize Junior Division and the 20th & 21st Century Prize
Yixin Shen (right), age 15 (China) — Third Prize Junior Division
ClevelandClassical.com: From the beginning of the competition to the final round, how did you deal with your nerves?
Jueon Lee: I felt very nervous before going to the stage. I just tried to enjoy the music. It was also a very meaningful experience because there were so many great and helpful activities for me during the competition.
Yixin Shen: Actually, I felt really relaxed three days before the competition, but once it began I got more and more nervous. But I relaxed when I met some new friends. We talked to each other and shared music, and I think nothing is more important than that. So when I was on stage I wasn’t that nervous. I just enjoyed my music and my friends who were in the audience and it felt nice. Now that the competition is finished, I just feel excited about our friendships — and the result is great.
CC.com: How did you decide on your repertoire?
JL: My teachers suggested some repertoire, and I had my own pieces that I wanted to play.
YS: I’ve played some of the works before, and I think these pieces are all very beautiful. The Scriabin (Sonata No. 4 in F-sharp Major, Op. 30) is a new piece. I just learned it during the past two and a half months. It’s really a challenge for me, but I chose it because it’s very beautiful. And Mozart is also very beautiful, but it’s like two kinds of beautiful. So they contrast well.
CC.com: In the Chamber Music Round did you enjoy working with Jinjoo Cho and Max Geissler?
JL: We rehearsed two times before the performance, and working with them on the Brahms Trio was fantastic.
CC.com: You sounded beautiful. And Yixin, your Beethoven Ghost was wonderful. How was your experience working with them?
YS: Amazing! They’re really great musicians. I was always told the piano shouldn’t cover the strings — this is a general problem for the piano trio. But there was no problem with Jinjoo and Max. Their projection was really good so I could just be myself. They taught me a lot, like which places they wanted me to follow them and not just focus on the piano part.
CC.com: Did you enjoy the master class round? What did you take away from working with Jean-Yves Thibaudet?
JL: He’s French, so I played Ravel’s Ondine from Gaspard de la nuit, so I could learn new things about playing French music.
CC.com: And Yixin, you played Scriabin’s Sonata No. 4.
YS: Professor Thibaudet was really amazing. He’s a kind person and as Jueon said, he’s a French person, so I think he has a lot to say about the French style. He gave me a lot of great suggestions on the Scriabin. And I think I learned a lot from the experience.
CC.com: You’ve both played concertos before. Both of you played beautifully.
Both: Thank you so much.
CC.com: How do you feel about Chopin No. 1?
JL: I love that concerto, and I listened to it many times since I was very young. So I just enjoyed it during the performance. And I played it many times in Korea.
CC.com: Unlike the Grieg, where you start right away, with the Chopin, you have to sit in front of the orchestra for a really long time before you come in: What are you thinking of during those long minutes?
JL: That is a very long time for me, but I try just to focus on the music. But in the final round before I played, there was a spider on the piano. That was a bad situation for me.
CC.com: It didn’t bother the performance, you sounded wonderful.
JL: Oh, thank you.
CC.com: And the Grieg, is there a more famous opening to a piano concerto?
YS: Yes, it’s amazing, but very difficult — you need to be very accurate with the orchestra. This is one of my favorite concertos, it is like a big picture of Norway with a big sound and big chords. Everything is big, but at the same time it’s very delicate. And playing with the Orchestra was a great experience. I really learned a lot.
CC.com: Did you see these little baseball player cards filled with fun facts about the competitors?
Both: Yes!.
CC.com: So Jueon, you like amusement parks — what’s your favorite ride?
JL: In Korea I often go to the amusement park: I like to ride roller coasters.
CC.com: And Yixin, you want to spend time traveling in Switzerland.
YS: I’ve been to Switzerland once, and it’s amazing. It’s pretty much like the scene in Grieg Concerto — lots of nature, mountains and lakes and the weather is quite good. Everything is so natural, and I can breathe the fresh air. Everything makes me really relaxed.
CC.com: Again, congratulations and I hope we will talk again in the future.
Both: Thank you so much for having us.
Published on ClevelandClassical.com August 5, 2026
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