Pianist Lim Yunchan (Lim’s official Instagram account)

By Kang Gahui

Pianist Lim Yunchan has won three honors for his debut album from the BBC Music Magazine Awards, including the top honor Recording of the Year.

The magazine said Lim on April 23 won Recording of the Year, Newcomer Award and Instrumental Award at the awards ceremony in London for his debut album "Chopin: Etudes."

His triple crown is unprecedented in the awards' 20-year history. His album is also the first to win three honors and Lim is the first recipient of the Newcomer Award to earn Recording of the Year.

"Given that 2024 saw the release of many outstanding albums, I did not expect this outcome at all, and I'm so grateful," the monthly quoted Lim as saying. "I strive always to harmonise what my heart tells me with what my mind dictates."

The magazine's editor Charlotte Smith added, "In 20 years of BBC Music Magazine Awards, this is the first time that a performer has walked away with three prizes for a single album. And that the artist at the centre of these three prestigious awards should just have celebrated his 21st birthday is downright astonishing. But Yunchan Lim is no ordinary artist."

Launched in 1992, the classical music magazine since 2006 has honored the best albums in each genre every year.

Lim Yunchan's debut studio album "Chopin: Etudes" (Decca Classics)