(LEAD) Baritone Kim Tae-han becomes 1st Asian male singer to win Queen Elisabeth Competition

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details from sixth para; ADDS photo)

SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korean baritone Kim Tae-han has won the Queen Elisabeth Competition for voice, becoming the first Asian male singer to win the coveted classical music contest held in Belgium.

Kim was named the first prize winner during an awards ceremony held in Brussels on Saturday (local time), which was broadcast live online.

The 22-year-old is the third South Korean singer to clinch the top prize following sopranos Hong Hae-ran in 2011 and Hwang Sumi in 2014.

Kim, who currently studies at the Seoul National University, has won several awards at international competitions, including the Neue Stimmen international singing competition, the Concorso Internazionale Riccardo Zandonai and the Concurso Tenor Vinas last year.

During the finals, Kim sang five songs, including "O, du mein holder Abendstern," an aria of Richard Wagner's opera "Tannhauser."

Established in 1937, the competition named after the late Belgian queen is one of the three most prestigious contests for classical musicians, along with the International Chopin Piano Competition and the International Tchaikovsky Competition. The voice section was added in 1988.

Violinists, pianists, singers and cellists compete in a four-year cycle, and this year was the voice competition.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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