Elena Lavrenova, director and founder of Ysaye International Music Competition, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, Monday, to announce that the competition finals will be held in Korea this year. Yonhap
The Ysaye International Music Competition, a global platform for young violinists founded in Belgium, will hold its final round in Korea this year for the first time, reflecting Asia's growing importance in the classical music world.
The 2026 finals will take place July 10 and 11 at Incheon Arts Center in Gyeonggi Province, co-hosted by the Korea International Arts School and the Belgian organization.
The competition, launched in 2018 in Liege, birthplace of Belgian violinist-composer Eugene Ysaye, has until now held all its stages in Belgium.
This year, 121 applicants from 23 countries entered the competition, with preliminary and semifinal rounds already held in Belgium. Twenty violinists are expected to compete at the finals.
