Leo de María - piano
Leo de María (1995)
A unique blend of technical skill, great sensitivity, and deep passion in his playing has established Leo de María as one of the finest performers of his generation.
Born in Madrid in 1995, he began his musical training at the age of 11. He studied at the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts at Alfonso X el Sabio University in Madrid under the direction of Maestro Leonel Morales and later completed his Master’s studies with Maestro Pavel Gililov at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in performance at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim with Maestro Rudolf Meister in Germany (Konzertexamen).
He is a piano professor at the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts of Alfonso X El Sabio University in Madrid (UAX) and at the Superior School of Music Forum Musikae (FMK).
Leo de María has won more than 50 international awards. Notable achievements include First Prizes at the International Piano Competitions UNISA in Pretoria, South Africa (WFIMC), Ciudade de Ferrol in Spain, MozARTè in Germany, the Grand Prix of Lyon in France, and the National Prize Cultura Viva for Artistic Revelation 2018 in Spain.
He has been awarded Second Prize in the International Competitions Johann Nepomuk Hummel in Bratislava (WFIMC), Santa Cecilia in Porto, Portugal (WFIMC), Épinal in France (WFIMC), Russian Music in Italy, Neue Sterne in Germany, Valsesia Musica in Milan, and at the Rio de Janeiro Festival-Competition in Brazil.
He has also received Third Prize at the Scriabin International Competitions in Grosseto (twice in a row) in 2014 and 2016, as well as the Special Public Prize in the final round in 2016, and at the Ettore Pozzoli Competition in Seregno (WFIMC) in Italy. Likewise, in Spain, he won Third Prize at the Frechilla-Zuloaga Competition in Valladolid, as well as the Rosa Sabater Prize for the best interpretation of Spanish music at the Jaén International Piano Prize.
At the age of 15, he performed his first concerto with an orchestra (Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 1) with the Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra in Adana, Turkey.
Since then, his concert activity has taken him to different parts of the world, performing in the most prestigious concert halls, such as Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, and Villa Musica at Engers Castle (Germany); Wiener Saal and Solitär Concert Hall in Salzburg (Austria); Casa da Música in Porto (Portugal); Sala Reduta in Bratislava and the Piestany Music Festival; Guotai Arts Center in Chongqing, Daning Theater in Shanghai, Cangjiang Theater, and the International Conference Center Concert Hall in Xiamen, Fuzhou Grand Theater in Fuzhou (China); Elfers Concert Hall in Connecticut and Severance Music Center in Cleveland (USA); CKK Jordanki Auditorium in Toruń (Poland); Sala Nezahualcóyotl in Mexico City, Auditorio de San Pedro de Monterrey at the Festival Santa Cecilia-Parnassós (Mexico); Salle Molière in Lyon at the Festival Les Virtuoses du Piano; Teatro Bibiena de Mantova (Italy); Cecilia Mirelles Concert Hall in Rio de Janeiro; the A. Scriabin House in Moscow; Radio France in Paris; Miami Dade County Auditorium, and many venues in Turkey, Slovenia, Italy, and the Netherlands.
In Spain, he has collaborated with the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofia, the “Descubre” Cycle at the National Auditorium of Madrid with the National Orchestra of Spain, the Rafael Orozco Cycle in Cordoba, the Juan March Foundation, the Olivar del Castillejo Foundation, and has performed at La Maestranza Auditorium in Seville, various venues in Granada including the Manuel de Falla Auditorium, the San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, Iturbi Hall of the Palau de la Música in Valencia, the Auditorium of Castellón, and the Mozart Hall of the Auditorium of Zaragoza.
Demonstrating his ability as a concert artist, he has shared the stage with renowned conductors such as Rastislav Štúr, Andrés Salado, Roberto Tibiriça, Teresa Riveiro Böhm, Gustavo Rivero Weber, Emin Güven Yasliçam, Andrea Oddone, Gabriel Delgado, Marlene Urbay, Dainius Pavilionis, Beatriz Fernández Aucejo, Jiří Rožeň, Gudni A. Emilsson, Joanna Natalia Slusarczyk, Christian Fitzner, Osvaldo Ferreira, José Trigueros, and Andrea Barizza.
He has been invited to the Great Soloists Cycle Pilar Bayona at the Auditorium of Zaragoza. In its XXV edition, artists such as Grigory Sokolov, Alessio Bax, and Joaquín Achúcarro participated. Leo de María received a five-star review: “Music as a panacea.”
He has extensively toured China, with his latest tour featuring 12 concerts in major venues across the country, beginning in Chongqing and concluding in Beijing at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.
Due to his success, Leo de María secured artistic representation in China through the Concert Agency CHONGQING PERFORMANCE CO. Ltd. He is also represented internationally by the MUSIESPAÑA agency.
Leo de María is invited annually to give masterclasses at The Hotchkiss School Summer Portals in Connecticut (USA) and the Sommerakademie of the Mozarteum University in Salzburg (Austria). He also teaches masterclasses at the Leonel Morales & Friends International Music Festival and Masterclass, where he serves as Chief Operating Officer.
He is the Artistic Director and CEO of the Youth Piano Experience: Masterclass for Children and Teenagers, which takes place every summer in July in Granada, Spain.
He is frequently invited as a jury member in international competitions such as the Santa Cecilia Competition in Porto (Portugal), the Isidor Bajic Piano Memorial Competition in Novi Sad (Serbia), the María Herrero Competition in Granada (Spain), and the Spanish Composers Competition in Las Rozas (Spain).
"Powerful," "He plays like a great," and "Dominant and Conquering" are some of the superlatives used by critics worldwide to describe him.