Taeguk Mun Wins János Starker Foundation Award
Recent Bachelor of Music graduate wins $25,000 prize.
Taeguk Mun ’16 B.M. has won the 2016 János Starker Foundation Award. The $25,000 prize is given to cellists under the age of 30 who have “already begun a significant career in music.” Awardees must demonstrate their artistic merit through recordings of six works representing the Pre-Classical, Classical, Romantic, 20th Century, and Contemporary eras of Western music.
“It is truly a great honor to be the recipient of the 2016 János Starker Foundation Award,” said Mun, expressing gratitude for the Foundation’s “wonderful contribution to young musicians.”
Mun studied with Laurence Lesser during his time at NEC, and completed his Bachelor of Music degree in spring of 2016. Mun also took first prizes in the 2014 Pablo Casals International Cello Competition and the 2011 André Navarra International Cello Competition. Currently Boston-based, 22-year-old Mun is a native of South Korea.
The Starker Foundation Award honors the memory of renowned Hungarian-American cellist and educator János Starker, who died in 2013 at the age of 88. Starker accepted an honorary doctorate from New England Conservatory in 2006.