Conductor Choi Jae-hyuck has announced the birth of a new star in the international music scene by winning the 3rd International Orchestra Conducting Competition 'Llíria City of Music 2025,' which concluded on July 25th in Llíria, Spain. Hosted by the City of Llíria, designated as a UNESCO City of Music, and in collaboration with the Spanish Association of Conductors (AESDO), this competition is a major event in the Spanish music scene focused on discovering and nurturing young conductors aged 35 and under.

According to the competition's official website, Choi Jae-hyuck demonstrated exceptional talent, musicality, and potential as a conductor, receiving high praise from the judging panel after five days of fierce competition across four stages involving 25 finalists from 16 countries. This victory once again proves his versatility, as it marks his first win in the conducting category, following his historic win as the youngest ever in the composition category at the 2017 Geneva International Competition.

As part of his prize, Choi Jae-hyuck received 8,500 euros (approximately 13 million KRW) and secured conducting opportunities with major European orchestras, including the Spanish RTVE National Symphony Orchestra and the Valencia Symphony Orchestra. Paco Gorrea, Mayor of Llíria, stated regarding Choi Jae-hyuck's award, "Through this competition, we hope that Llíria will strengthen its status as an international music city and establish itself as a world-class conducting competition."

Choi Jae-hyuck has garnered attention for his delicate artistic sensibility and profound interpretations of both contemporary and classical repertoires. He was selected as a Conducting Fellow at the 2023 Verbier Festival and as a Jaap van Zweden Conducting Fellow for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in 2025. He also reached the finals of assistant conductor competitions for the Philadelphia Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestre National d'Île-de-France. Furthermore, he studied at the Juilliard School and the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, making his international debut in 2018, conducting Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra at the Lucerne Festival.

Second place in this competition went to Vladimir Piskunov of Russia, and third place to Daniel Joseph of the United Kingdom. The jury chairman was Manuel Galduf, former principal conductor of the Valencia Orchestra, and the jury secretary was Cristóbal Soler, artistic director of CIDO. Participants performed works by Stravinsky, Elgar, and Mozart, while the finals included the commissioned new work 'Estructura I' by David Moliner, the first movement of H. Tomasi's Trombone Concerto, and Beethoven's Overture 'Coriolan, Op. 62.' Choi Jae-hyuck's victory is lauded as a significant achievement that further elevates the status of Korean classical music.

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