TNUA student Kao Han-yen won the first prize for solo performance at the Universal Marimba Competition & Festival 2013 in Belgium this summer, becoming the first-ever competitor from Taiwan to take the top honor of the contest.
He outperformed more than 70 other competitors coming from 21 countries, including Italy, Finland, France, Austrai, Britain, Holland, the US, Japan and China, in a competition that took place from July 22 to 26 in the Belgian city of Sint-Truiden.
Kao, a senior from the Department of Music, said he has not had too much competition experience, and the Belgium event was the first overseas competition he has ever taken part in.
But Kao went on to disclose – with a bright smile and confidence – that he started learning to play the marimba when he was still a kindergarten kid.
He is currently a member of the Ju Percussion Group 2, and has already taken part in more than 100 performances.
Winning the first prize at the Belgian event means that apart from the material that he will receive, Kao will be arranged to have a CD recording, appearances in international music festivals and a solo recital during the next edition of the competition in 2015.
The biannual event, first introduced in 2001, is one of the most important marimba competitions in the world.