The concert promoter Christopher Axworthy has posted:
So sorry to hear from Eun Seong Kim’s mother that her son died in a swimming accident on 19th July. A major talent as you can hear from op 111. His Scriabin was one of the finest performances we have ever heard.
He was also one of the most humble and appreciative human beings. A life so cruelly taken from us when his musical journey was headed for the heights.
The Korean pianist and composer Eun Song Kim won the Mendelssohn Competition in Berlin in 2014 and came fourth in the Busoni contest.
Our profound sympathies to his family.
Anne Midgette and Peggy McGlone on the Washington Post have conducted an extensive survey of sexual harassment of women in classical music, reaching the conclusion that it is ‘rife’.
Among those named are the Italian conductor Daniele Gatti – who insists all his contacts were consensual – and William Preucil, respected concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, who refused to comment.
Many of the other cases cited have previously been reported (not least in Slipped Disc), but the conclusion that harassment is endemic in classical music is a disturbing one and the legwork done by the two reporters is impressive.
