Kotaro Fukuma, age 22, of Japan has been named the winner of the 2003 Cleveland International Piano Competition. Fukuma was selected from a field of 37 candidates who performed over a ten-day period for record-breaking crowds at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Severance Hall.

The first prize carries a cash award of $20,000 and a compact disc recording on the Naxos label which will be distributed internationally. Mr. Fukuma will embark immediately on a whirlwind international tour consisting of more than 30 concert engagements and a November 28 recital debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. These and other engagements over the next two years will be coordinated by the Competition as part of the First Prize.

Mr. Fukuma, is a citizen of Japan residing in France. He is presently a student at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris. Mr. Fukuma won Second Prize at the 2002 Helsinki International Maj Lind Piano Competition (Finland) and Sixth Prize at the 1997 Gina Bachauer International Young Artists Piano Competition (United States). He has performed with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Helsinki, Finland), and has given recitals in the Maison de la Poésie (Paris, France) and the Eglise de Notre Dame (Ville sur Authie, France).

Second Prize and a cash award of $10,000 was presented to Soyeon Lee, age 24. Ms. Lee is a citizen of Korea currently residing in the United States. She earned BM and MM degrees from The Juilliard School. Ms. Lee was a prizewinner at the 2002 Paloma O’Shea Santander International Piano Competition (Spain), the 2001 and 2002 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition (United States), and the 1999 Nena Wideman Piano Competition (United States). She has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra (Santander, Spain) and the Shreveport Symphony (LA), and in recital at the Phillips Collection (Washington, DC).

Third Prize and a cash award of $10,000 was presented to Konstantin Soukhovetski, age 22. Mr. Soukhovetski is a citizen of Russia studying at The Juilliard School. He won Second Prize at the 2003 Young Concert Artists (United States). Mr. Soukhovetski also was the First Prize winner at the 2002 Hilton Head International Piano Competition and won Second Prize at the 2002 Naumburg International Piano Competition. He has performed in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (New York), with the Hilton Head Orchestra (SC), and in recitals in Amman, Jordan and Bierut, Lebanon.

Fourth Prize and a cash award of $7,500 was presented to Andrius Zlabys, age 26. Mr. Zlabys is a citizen of Lithuania currently residing in the United States. He was a First Prize winner at the 1993 Stasys Vainiunas International Piano Competition (Lithuania) and the 1991 Virtuoso per Musica di Pianoforte Competition (Czech Republic), and a prize winner at the International Balys Dvarionis Competition (Lithuania). He has given a recital at the Cleveland Museum of Art (Ohio) and has performed with the Lithuanian State Orchestra (Vilnius) and the Kremerata Baltica (Carnegie Hall, NY). In recent years Mr. Zlabys has toured extensively with the Kremerata Baltica in Europe and Japan.

The distinguished jury, comprised of nine pianists, composers and music critics of international renown, also awarded three special prizes:

• The Mozart Prize , a cash award of $1,000 for best performance of a composition by Mozart, was awarded to Ms. Lee.

• The Baroque Prize , a cash award of $1,500 for best performance of a Baroque composition, was awarded to Elizabeth Schumann of the United States.

• The Chopin Prize , a cash award of $2,000 for best performance of a composition by Chopin, was awarded to Mr. Fukuma.

Special Note: Kotaro Fukuma will preview his New York debut recital in a performance at The Cleveland Museum of Art (Gartner Auditorium) on Sunday, November 9, 2003, 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available by calling the Museum’s Ticket Center at 216-421-7350 or toll free at 888-262-0033.