Taiwanese Student Pinko Wen Wins 2nd Prize at The 16th Ile de France International Piano Competition

The 16th Ile de France International Piano Competition took place May 4 to 10, 2014 held in Maisons-Laffitte in Yvelines in France, in the north-western suburbs of Paris. Pinko Wen from Taiwan won second place in the Concert Pianist category and was awarded 1,000€ by Opus Yvelines Association. The first prize was awarded to a Hungarian pianist, Marcell Szabó.

The Ile de France International Piano Competition is organized annually by Opus Yvelines Association. Its stated objective is to “promote musical performance and, more specifically, to help young musicians become better known.” This year almost 220 candidates from 25 countries took part in the competition. Since the competition's inception in 1999, the city has hosted nearly 2,000 candidates of more than 50 nationalities. The competition is divided into three preliminary stages: Levels 1, 2, and 3, and four main categories: Advanced, Excellence, Amateur Concert Pianist, and Concert Pianist. Competitors in the Concert Pianist category all aim to be future professional pianists; hence the competition in this category is the most intense. The Taiwanese pianist Yun-yang Lee won the first place in this category in 2012.

Pinko Wen is a 25-year-old currently studying at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon. This is one of the two most prestigious of the conservatories in France which nurture future professionals, the other being the Conservatoire de Paris in Paris.