Wenbin Jin '09MM wins second prize in China International Piano Competition

On November 26, 2013, Wenbin Jin ’09MM won second prize in the Sixth China International Piano Competition in Xiamen, China. The competition, organized by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, was open to pianists of all nationalities between the ages of 17 and 32.

Jin was awarded second place out of 59 pre-selected competitors. WU Zuqiang was the artistic director of the competition; Zhou Guangren was the artistic advisor. The jurors were Arie Vardi (Israel), Aquiles Delle Vigne (Italy), Han Dong II (United States), John O’Conor (Ireland), Jacques Rouvier (France), Joaquin Soriano (Spain), Li Mingqiang (Hong Kong), Li Qifang (China), Kyung-Sook Lee (Korea), Philip Jenkins (Britain), Sheng Yiqi (China), and Tamas Vesmas (France).

In the preliminary round, selected contestants perform a recital of 25 to 30 minutes. The semi-final round features a 55–60-minute recital program. In the final round, contestants perform two piano concertos, one by Mozart. As the second-place winner, Jin takes home a prize of $20,000.

Wenbin Jin has previously won second prize in the 2012 Shanghai International Piano Competition, reached the semifinal round of the 2011 Clara Haskill International Piano Competition, and won first prize in the 2004 Missouri Southern International Piano Competition.

The 26-year-old pianist has concertized in the United States, Holland, Italy, Canada, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, Australia, and Taiwan. He has performed with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, and the NEC String Chamber Orchestra. He was recently appointed the official pianist of the Great Mountain Music Festival in Korea.

Wenbin Jin’s professional training includes degrees from the New England Conservatory and the Yale School of Music; his primary teachers have been Hung-Kuan Chen and Boris Berman.