Dayoon You

South Korea

City of residence: Berlin

Age: 24

“One thing I love about playing the violin is that we have a huge amount of repertoire. What a privilege to choose among these amazing works.”

HOME - CONCOURS 2026

Dayoon You started learning the violin at the age of five, at a local music school. He first came to international recognition in 2021 when he was awarded the Kronberg Academy Special Prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, and was selected as a finalist at the 2022 Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin under Kolja Blacher.

Dayoon is a laureate of the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition and won Second Prize at the 2023 Long-Thibaud International Violin Competition. As a soloist, he has performed with numerous prestigious orchestras, including the Belgian National Orchestra, the Poznań Philharmonic, the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Chamber Orchestra. He also performed at world-class venues such as the Berliner Philharmonie, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Konzerthaus Berlin, Smetana Hall, and the Bozar in Brussels. The Concours 2026 marks his debut in North America.

Dayoon is also an active chamber musician, having won First Prize and the Best Mozart Interpretation Prize as a guest member of the Arete Quartet at the International Mozart Competition 2023 in Salzburg.

Dayoon plays a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin from 1774, generously loaned to him by the Kumho Cultural Foundation.