From left, conductors Euan Shields, Simon Edelmann and Austin Alexander Chanu speak duirng a press conference after the final round of the second Korean National Symphoony Orchestra (KNSO) International Conducting Competition at Seoul Arts Center, Seocho District, in southern Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of KNSO

German conductor Simon Edelman clinched the top prize at Korea's only international conducting competition.

The Korean National Symphony Orchestra (KNSO), under the leadership of artistic director David Reiland, announced, Sunday, that Edelman, currently conducting the Vogtland Philharmonic, won first place in the second KNSO International Conducting Competition.

Edelmann's performances of the first movement of Brahms' "Symphony No. 4," the third movement of Rachmaninoff's "Symphonic Dances" and the first movement of "Debussy's La Mer" in the final round impressed the jury and secured him the top prize.

Jury chair David Reiland praised Edelmann as a "skilled and experienced conductor" who demonstrated "excellent leadership and understanding of the orchestra."

German conductor Simon Edelman conducts during the second Korean National Symphony Orchestra (KNSO) International Conducting Competition at Seoul Arts Center in Seocho District, southern Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of KNSO

At a press conference held after being named the winner at the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho District on Sunday, Edelman said his goal "has been to realize the music and let it speak for itself. Because I believe the concert should be about the music, not about the conductor. I'm not sure if that impressed the jury, but that was one of the things I aimed to achieve in the final."

He added, "I don't want to be remembered for conducting great concerts, but I want people to remember the great music they heard in those concerts."

He also thanked the KNSO for giving young conductors the opportunity to make a name for themselves.

"We want to conduct, we want to stand in front of an orchestra, we want to perform great music. So the greatest gift is actually to be here, to be able to get time in front of the orchestra to play, make music with them. In the end, that for me is the most important thing," he added.

American conductor Austin Alexander Chanu, right, who clinched the third prize during this year's KNSO International Conducting Competition, also receives the Orchestra Prize with a 4 million won prize, sponsored by The Korea Times, from KNSO's artistic director David Reiland during a ceremony at Seoul Arts Center in Seocho District, southern Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of KNSO

The second KNSO International Conducting Competition attracted 224 applicants from 44 countries. Eleven finalists from six countries competed from Wednesday to Sunday, presenting a diverse repertoire of contemporary, concerto and symphonic works.

The award, inaugurated in 2021, is held every three years to honor emerging conductors on the global stage. While Yoon Han-kyeol, the first Korean to win the Karajan Young Conductors Award, was the runner-up in the first competition in 2021, no Korean conductor made it to the finals this time.

A panel of nine international experts, including Reiland, Colin Metters, Curtis Stewart and Michael Becker, served as judges for this year's contest.

Euan Shields from the United States won second place and Austin Alexander Chanu, also from the U.S., took third. Winners of the KNSO International Conducting Competition are awarded with cash prizes of 50 million won for first, 30 million for second and 10 million for third, as well as opportunities to perform with KNSO, the Seoul Arts Center and the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Korea Times sponsored two special prizes — Chanu received 4 million won for the Orchestra Prize, while Edelmann was awarded the same amount for the Audience Prize.

Han Yun-sang, left, senior executive advisor of The Korea Times Group, gives a 4 million won Audience Prize to Simon Edelman, who is also the winner of this years' KNSO International Conducting Competition held in Korea. Courtesy of KNSO

Shields described the five-day experience in Korea as "surreal."

"Music enables us to really bring our authentic selves to the podium and to the orchestra and a big part of that was how warm and receptive and responsive the KNSO was to our ideas, our conducting gestures. It felt like a really sort of deep communication that happened throughout the week. It's surreal," he said.

Borrowing the words of French conductor and composer Nadia Boulanger, which essentially mean, "You're only as good a musician as you are as a person," Shields added, "To be a better musician, you need to be a better person. So if the question is, what's the most important thing for a conductor, it's everything — who you are. I just want to keep getting better and keep learning about everything in life and music."

Chanu strongly agreed with that sentiment.

"I think just being true to yourself and being yourself fully on the podium with whatever works for you. You can't get up there and be fake and try to do something different," he said. "You have to represent yourself fully and you have to live authentically. You have to live your life authentically both on and off the podium. So to me, I try to emulate that every day. I try to be just as true of a person as I can."