CCM Starling Prep alumna Christina Nam wins first prize at International Ysaÿe Competition in Korea
Nam studied with Prof. Kurt Sassmannshaus for more than a decade
CCM Starling Prep alumna Christina Nam won the first prize in the Senior Division of the Ysaÿe International Music Competition in Icheon, South Korea, on July 11, 2026. Now age 23, Nam studied violin with Professor Kurt Sassmannshaus in CCM’s Starling Prep program from age 7 through her high school graduation in 2020.
The Ysaÿe International Music Competition attracts outstanding young violinists from around the world and is one the most significant international competitions for emerging violinists. As the first prize winner, Nam was awarded €5,000, a 1-year loan of a Florian Leonhard violin and a solo concerto performance with Gunpo Prime Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea.
Christina Nam.
Nam’s achievement reflects more than a decade of artistic growth through the CCM Starling Prep program, illustrating the program's long-term commitment to leading superb young musicians from childhood to the threshold of professional careers.
“I’ve studied with [Sassmannshaus] since I was seven years old," Nam said. "He’s taught me pretty much everything I know about violin technique, and how to be the violinist I am today, and he has given me many important performance opportunities in the Starling Program.”
She joins a remarkable group of Starling Prep alumni that includes Grammy winners Charles Yang and Jonathan Miron, as well as violinist and composer Tessa Lark, winner of the 9th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and the 2012 Naumburg International Violin Competition.
"Teachers are fortunate to witness remarkable journeys," Sassmannshaus said. "Working with Christina Nam and her family from childhood throughout their teenage years and watching her develop from a 7-year-old beginner into an international prize winner has been one of the great joys of my career. This recognition is richly deserved."
Nam made her solo debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under Robert Trevino at age 9 in 2013. She performed the first movement of Bach’s concerto for two violins, which she previously played at Great Wall International Music Festival in Beijing and the performance was broadcast on NPR‘s From the Top.
At 14 years old, she was the youngest competitor and received a top prize at the Cooper International Violin Competition, where she performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Jahja Ling and the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall. Her internaitonal credits include an invitation in 2012 to perform in the very concert that inaugurated the Harpa International Music Academy in Reykjavik, Iceland. Nam was a featured soloist for Faure’s Requiem in the Sing for a Cause concert, conducted by Louis Langrée.
Nam recently performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto as a soloist with the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra in Jakarta, Indonesia, conducted by CCM alumna Rebecca Tong (MM Orchestral Conducting, '14). Nam’s summer programs and festivals include the Great Wall International Music Academy in Beijing, the Perlman Music Program, Kneisel Hall and the Verbier Festival Academy. Learn more about Nam on her professional website.
About CCM Starling Prep Program
Founded in 1987 by CCM Professor Kurt Sassmannshaus, the Starling Preparatory String Project is specialized educational program for talented young string players whose mission is to pass on the rich tradition of classical music to the next generation of performers and audiences by training exceptional students. In addition to private lessons, students participate in a comprehensive program that includes chamber music and music theory.
The superbly talented musicians perform as the Starling Chamber Orchestra and are selected by audition. Students receive one hourly lesson per week, and take music theory, chamber and orchestra each Saturday. Instructors include CCM faculty and graduate students specially trained and chosen by Professor Sassmannshaus. Most of the students are from the greater Cincinnati area, and many others commute on Saturdays from other states. SCO has a concert series at Robert J. Werner Recital Hall at CCM and tours regularly.
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