# Leo de María

Leo de María (born 18 December 1995) is a Spanish classical pianist. He drew international recognition at the age of 15 when he debuted with the Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra in Adana, Turkey, performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Since then, he has performed widely in various countries around the world and has obtained international success.

## Education and early achievements

Leo de María began studying piano at the age of eleven at the Music Conservatory Padre Antonio Soler in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, where he remained until the age of seventeen. He made his debut at the age of 15, performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra in Adana, Turkey. A few years later, he distinguished himself winning 1st Prize at the International Piano Competition Frechilla-Zuloaga (Valladolid, Spain) at the age of 18.
He got international attention in 2016 after winning on the same year the 1st Prize at the International Piano Competition Grand Prix du Lyon (Lyon, France), 1st Prize the MozARTè International Piano Competition (Germany) and 3rd Prize with the Audience Prize to the Best Finalist at the International Piano Competition Alexander Scriabin (Grosseto, Italy). The following year he won 1st Prize at the International Piano Competition Ciudade de Ferrol (Ferrol, Spain).
He obtained his bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts at Alfonso X el Sabio University in Madrid under the guidance of Maestro Leonel Morales. He then completed his master’s degree with Maestro Pavel Gililov at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. He is currently pursuing a Konzertexamen postgraduate degree at the University of Music and Performing Arts of Mannheim in Germany with Maestro Rudolf Meister.

## Career

Through his career, Leo has performed in some of the most prestigious venues, such as the Laeiszhalle (Hamburg), the Eberhard Karls University (Tübingen) and Villa Musica at Engers Castle (Engers) in Germany; Wiener Saal and Solitär Concert Hall at Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria; Casa da Música (Porto); Reduta Hall (Bratislava) and the Piešťany Music Festival; in China, at the Guotai Arts Center (Chongqing), Daning Theater (Shanghai), Cangjiang Theater and the International Conference Center Concert Hall (Xiamen), Fuzhou Grand Theater (Fuzhou); in the USA, at the Elfers Concert Hall (Connecticut) and Severance Music Center (Cleveland); CKK Jordanki Auditorium (Torun, Poland); Nezahualcóyotl Hall (Mexico City); San Pedro Auditorium (Monterrey) at the Santa Cecilia-Parnassós Festival; Salle Molière (Lyon) at the Les Virtuoses du Piano Festival; Teatro Bibiena (Mantua); Sala Cecilia Meireles (Rio de Janeiro); Dade County Auditorium (Miami), and more in Turkey, Slovenia, Italy, Netherlands, Japan… In 2019, he toured extensively in China with a total of 12 concerts on the main stages of the Asian country, starting in the city of Chong Qing and concluding in Beijing, at the Tianquiao Performing Arts Center.
In 2018 he was awarded the National Prize “Cultura Viva” to the Artistic Revelation (Madrid, Spain).
He has performed with internationally renowned conductors such as Rastislav Štúr, Andrés Salado, Roberto Tibiriça and Gudni A. Emilsson, and has collaborated with orchestras like Slovak Philharmonic National Orchestra (Slovakia), Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música (Portugal), Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de Bursa (Turkey), Toruń Symphonic Orchestra (Poland), Johannesburg Symphonic Orchestra (South Africa), Orquesta Juvenil Universitaria Eduardo Mata (Mexico), Brazilian Symphony Orchestra (Brasil)... In Spain he has performed with Málaga Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Spanish National Orchestra, etc.
In the recent years, Leo de María has been internationally awarded with prestigious prizes from the World Federation of International Music Competitions, such as the International Piano Competition UNISA in Pretoria, South Africa (first Spanish pianist to be awarded 1st Prize), Épinal International Piano Competition, Johann Nepomuk Hummel International Piano Competition, International Competition Santa Cecilia, International Ettore Pozzoli Piano Competition and International Piano Competition Premio Jaén. In 2024, his presence at the prestigious Cleveland International Piano Competition was particularly noteworthy, where he reached the quarter-finals.
Leo de María currently combines his career as a pianist with his teaching work at Alfonso X El Sabio University and Escuela Superior de Música Forum Musikae, where his students of all ages win numerous international music prizes every year. He is regularly invited to offer masterclasses at summer festivals in various countries (USA, Austria, Spain) and has also served as a juror at many piano competitions.

## Selected awards

* 1st Prize at the International Piano Competition UNISA (Pretoria, South Africa). 2024 (WFIMC)
* 2nd Prize at the Épinal International Piano Competition (Épinal, France). 2023 (WFIMC)
* 2nd Prize at the International Piano Fesitval and Competition of Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil). 2023
* 2nd Prize at the Johann Nepomuk Hummel International Piano Competition (Bratislava, Slovakia). 2021 (WFIMC)
* 2nd Prize at the International Competition Santa Cecilia (Porto, Portugal). 2021 (WFIMC)
* 2nd Prize at the Sanremo International Competition - Russian Piano Music (San Remo, Italy). 2021
* 3rd Prize at the International Ettore Pozzoli Piano Competition (Seregno, Italy). 2021 (WFIMC)
* Rosa Sabater Prize at the International Piano Competition Premio Jaén (Jaén, Spain). 2021 (WFIMC)

## Discography

Borderless (live recording at Auditorio de Zaragoza, Spain). KNS Classical. 2024. Pieces by Mozart, Granados, Liszt, Schumann and Ravel.