The Ysaye International Music Competition, a global platform for young violinists founded in Belgium, will hold its final round in Korea this year for the first time, reflecting Asia's growing importance in the classical music world. The 2026 finals will take place July 10 and 11 at Incheon Arts Center in Gyeonggi Province, co-hosted by the Korea International Arts School and the Belgian organization. The competition, launched in 2018 in Liege, birthplace of Belgian violinist-composer Eugene Ysaye, has until now held all its stages in Belgium. This year, 121 applicants from 23 countries entered the competition, with preliminary and semifinal rounds already held in Belgium. Twenty violinists are expected to compete at the finals. Competition director and founder Elena Lavrenova said the decision to move the finals abroad for the first time was driven by both artistic philosophy and geography. “We chose Korea because we had the best partners in Korea,” she said during a press conference, adding that the majority of applicants now come from Asia. She stressed that the competition, built