What does it take to be a virtuosic pianist?

Included as part of this year’s Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) in Townsville was a recital by the winner of the recent Sydney International Piano Competition (SIPC), regarded as one of the major competitions of its kind in the world. Accompanied by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the newly refurbished Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House, a series of four concerts led up to a nail-biting final on 21 July. Announced as the recipient of the Ernest Hutcheson $50,000 First Prize was 23-year-old Korean pianist Jeonghwan Kim, who was as surprised as he was delighted.