Kwan Yee Lim (21) from Malaysia, a student of Thérèse Fahy at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin has been awarded the St Columb’s Hall Concerto Award 2025. The St Columb’s Hall Concerto Award is a celebration of the ancient cultural legacy of St Columba and his contemporaries who for centuries have travelled from Ireland, across the world, to inspire people with their art.
Le Foyer des Artistes - sponsored by Alchemy Technology Services, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Dutch Embassy London of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Continuo Foundation, Fleming Steel - is also uniquely supported by YAMAHA Music Europe who ship their newest CFX concert grand piano from London twice per year for this special event.
Nalni Chen (22) from Taiwan, Kwan Yee Lim (21) from Malaysia and Ildikó Rozsonits (18) from Hungary competed for the St Columb’s Hall Concerto Award 2025 at the Piano Spectacle last night in an unforgettable evening of technical and musical brilliance.
2025 marks more international collaborations for Le Foyer des Artistes with the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Juventudas Musicales de Granada in Spain as well as Forlì Cultura and Musica Insieme in Italy.
In addition to a concerto engagement with the prestigious ensemble at the Midsummer Concert on 18 June 2025, the winner will play concerts at the Franz Liszt Memorial Hall in Budapest in May, at the Civico Museo Medievale di via Manzoni in the heart of Bologna in June and at the Auditorio Manuel de Falla in Granada in September. Music Insieme is one of the most prestigious organisations for classical music in Europe and plays host to great artists like pianists Evgeny Kissin, András Schiff and Grigory Sokolov.