Northwestern Music graduate student Winston Choi is $25,000 richer after placing second at the Honens International Piano Competition in Calgary, Alberta.
The Honens, a triennial competition, held last Friday, judged 75 participants under the age of 31. Of about 900 piano competitions worldwide, it ranks among the 10 most prestigious.
Along with the cash, the Honens also awarded Choi a two-year Artistic and Career Development Program, valued at more than $200,000. It includes concerts, residencies and recordings.
“The career development’s more important than the money or the prize because it really lines up your opportunities,” Choi said.
Although Choi has won several national piano competitions and has performed at venues from New York to Italy, the Honens is his biggest accomplishment to date.
Winning the Orleans Concours International competition in France last year gave her a lot of confidence, Choi said, “but the Honens is far bigger in terms of what it offers its winners.”
Choi said he prepared for the competition by practicing six hours each day and trying to stay focused but relaxed.
“My main goal was to make it past the first round,” Choi said. “When I finally made the finals, I was surprised yet thrilled.”
Ursula Oppens, Choi’s professor, said Choi always has been “amazing.”
“Winston is very, very focused,” Oppens said. “He has this stunning intellect. His memory is always fabulous, and he’s really clear about the variety of sound and the variety of what’s happening emotionally in a work.”
Choi, who obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Indiana University, has been working on piano at NU with Oppens for three years.
“My teacher has been a huge influence on me, and the actual music program itself has been very nurturing and encouraging,” Choi said. “It gives me the flexibility to do what I want, and I’m fully supported to go after my dreams.”
Since his recent awards, Choi said he has a busy schedule but plans to keep his options open.
“I don’t have any long-term goals,” he said. “I’ll try to learn from these opportunities and see where it takes me.”
