Leo de Maria, Spain

Leo de María has won more than 50 international awards. Highlights include First Prizes at the UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa (WFIMC); the Cidade de Ferrol International Piano Competition in Spain; the MozARTè Competition in Germany; the Grand Prix of Lyon in France; and the National Prize Cultura Viva for Artistic Revelation (2018) in Spain.

He has also been awarded Second Prize at numerous competitions, including the Johann Nepomuk Hummel Competition in Bratislava (WFIMC), the Santa Cecilia Competition in Porto, Portugal (WFIMC), the Épinal Competition in France (WFIMC), the Russian Music Competition in Italy, Neue Sterne in Germany, Valsesia Musica in Milan, and the Rio de Janeiro Festival-Competition in Brazil.

Mr. de María received Third Prize at the Scriabin International Competition in Grosseto, Italy, twice in succession (2014 and 2016), as well as the Special Public Prize in the 2016 final round. He was also a Third Prize winner at the Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competition in Seregno (WFIMC) and the Frechilla-Zuloaga Competition in Valladolid, Spain. At the Jaén International Piano Competition, he received the Rosa Sabater Prize for the best interpretation of Spanish music.

His expressive artistry and charismatic stage presence have been featured with orchestras around the world, including the Slovak National Philharmonic Orchestra (Bratislava), the Porto Symphony Orchestra (Portugal), the San Remo and Grosseto Symphony Orchestras (Italy), the Bursa State Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), the Toruń Symphony (Poland), the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra (South Africa), the Eduardo Mata University Youth Orchestra (Mexico City), and the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra (Rio de Janeiro). In Spain, he has performed with the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra (OFM), the Galicia Symphony Orchestra (OSG), the Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra (OSCyL), and the Spanish National Orchestra (OCNE), among others.

Mr. de María has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Rastislav Štúr, Andrés Salado, Roberto Tibiriçá, Teresa Riveiro Böhm, Gustavo Rivero Weber, Emin Güven Yaslıçam, Andrea Oddone, Gabriel Delgado, Marlene Urbay, Dainius Pavilionis, Beatriz Fernández Aucejo, Jiří Rožeň, Gudni A. Emilsson, Joanna Natalia Ślusarczyk, Christian Fitzner, Osvaldo Ferreira, José Trigueros, and Andrea Barizza.

First Round

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude and Fugue in G Major, No. 15, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book II, BWV 884
• Frédéric Chopin: Étude in G-flat Major, Op. 10, No. 5, “Black Key”
• Sergei Rachmaninoff: Prelude in G Major, Op. 32, No. 5
• Rachmaninoff: Étude-Tableau in D Major, Op. 39, No. 9
• Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in D Major, Op. 2, No. 3
 I. Allegro con brio
 II. Adagio
 III. Scherzo: Allegro
 IV. Allegro assai

Quarterfinal Round

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, K. 282
I. Adagio
II. Menuetto I
III. Menuetto II
IV. Allegro
• Enrique Granados: “El amor y la muerte” (from Goyescas, Op. 11)
• Franz Liszt: Sonata in b minor, S. 178
• Olga Kern: Status Animae (State of Soul)—Two Pieces for Solo Piano
 I. Meditation
 II. Rhythm Obsession
• Maurice Ravel: La Valse, M. 72La Valse, M. 72

Semifinal Round – Chamber Music

• Johannes Brahms: Piano Quintet in f minor, Op. 34
 I. Allegro non troppo
 II. Andante, un poco adagio
 III. Scherzo: Allegro
 IV. Finale: Poco sostenuto—Allegro non troppo—Presto, non troppo

Final Round

• Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in e minor, Op. 11
 I. Allegro maestoso
 II. Romanze: Larghetto
 III. Rondo: Vivace

2025 Participants

Meet the People!

Recognizing the Board of Directors, distinguished jury, guest artists, competitors, finalists, and more.