JURy
ALBERT ATTENELLE
PRESIDENT
Spanish pianist. Professor of Barcelona High Conservatory of Music “Liceu”
Spanish pianist. He was born in Barcelona, early showing his talent for music. At the age of six he gave his first recital in his hometown. The great pedagogue Frank Marshall, who attended the concert, took charge of his piano training from that moment, transferring to him in the course of the following years the legacy of the Catalan piano school that goes back to Joaquín Malats , Ricardo Viñes and Albéniz , going through Granados and Marshall himself. Later he expanded his studies in Paris with Professor Marcel Ciampi .
His performance as a soloist with the Bilbao and Barcelona orchestras in 1957, as well as his winning various International Awards, place him at the forefront of the piano current affairs of his generation.
His career has developed as a soloist and performer of chamber music in Europe, America and Japan; As a soloist with large orchestras, he has performed a large number of concertos from Bach to contemporary ones, passing through Beethoven, Chopin, Franck , Schumann, Ravel, Stravinsky , Poulenc , Saint -Saens , Prokofieff , Bartok , etc., under the direction of conductors like Janos Sandor , Peter Maag , Ros – Marbà , Ronald Zolmann , Walter Weller , Gary Bertini, Christopher Hogwood , etc …
In possession of a large repertoire that covers all styles, he has paid special attention to the composers of the 20th century, which has led him to offer the first audition of Mompou ‘s Música Callada or to repeatedly perform Luis’ Concertos for piano and orchestra. de Pablo, Roberto Gerhard or Xavier Montsalvatge among others.
From his discography we would highlight the Concertos for piano and orchestra by Luis de Pablo, Roberto Gerhard, as well as volumes dedicated to Déodat de Séverac and Joaquín Nin-Culmell ( Anacrusi ). In chamber music, and as a member of the Barcelona Trio , Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and the Mendelssohn and Dvorak Trios ( Harmonia world ). He has recently published a double CD with the complete Iberia and La Vega by Isaac Albéniz under the Columna Música label and a double CD dedicated to Federico Mompou has just been released under the same label that includes the complete Música Callada, Suburbis and Variations on a Theme by Chopin.
He has recently performed in Australia presenting different programs including Iberia by Albéniz , Danzas Españolas by Granados, Música Callada by Mompou and Fantasia Bética by Manuel de Falla.
He has published a revised edition of Isaac Albéniz ‘s Suite Iberia, and is in possession of the Albéniz Medal of the City Council of Camprodón for his contribution to the dissemination of the music of this brilliant composer.
He is President of the Competition Jury since 2016.
ERNESTO ROCÍO BLANCO
SECRETARY
Spanish pianist.
He began his musical studies at the Conservatory of Santa Cruz de Tenerife with María Isabel Pérez Canino and Amparo Barrera, continuing them in Seville with Ramón Coll and later at the Superior Conservatory of Music in Madrid with Professor Guillermo González and his assistant Consuelo Mejías, obtaining the Superior Degree in Piano with outstanding and Honorable Mention.
He is in possession of the Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) in the Department of Didactics and School Organization and Special Didactics, Doctorate program of “Curricular, technological and institutional innovation”. He has participated in different International Pianistic Interpretation Courses taught by Vlado Perlemuter , Paul Badura-Skoda , Joaquín Achúcarro , Esteban Sánchez, José Francisco Alonso etc.
He regularly teaches Piano Improvement courses, among which it is worth highlighting the “Manuel de Falla” International Courses in Granada, the Musical Improvement Cycles at the Professional Music Conservatory of Jaén, the Summer Courses organized by the University of Murcia, held in Águilas , the Interpretation Courses “Ciudad de Jamilena ” of which he has been an uninterrupted teacher since 1999 and the Improvement Courses of the Professional Conservatory of Úbeda.
He has given recitals as a soloist and in chamber groups in different Spanish and European cities. Critics have highlighted his sensitivity and technique: “Ernesto Rocío obtains beautiful sonorities from the instrument, through a safe and clear mechanism” (El Mundo).
He has been Tenured Professor of piano at the Conservatory of Music of Madrid, professor and vice-director at the Professional Conservatory of Music of Jaén and professor at the Conservatory of Music of Jaén.
Since 1997 he has been a member of the Advisory Board of the International Piano Competition “Premio Jaén”, and Secretary of the Competition since 2019.
PILAR BILBAO
VOCAL
Spanish pianist. Born in Bilbao.
His musical training began at an early age. Her mother, Pilar Iturburu , initiated her piano studies, interpreting pieces by Mozart, Schumann and Beethoven at the age of four. At the age of seven he was presented for the first time to the public in Bilbao, causing an excellent impression.
Later he continued his higher studies at the Madrid Conservatory with Pedro Lerma. His training is completed under the guidance and advice of prestigious teachers such as Hans Graf, Bruno Seidlhofer , Vlado Perlemuter , Nikita Magaloff and Claudio Arrau , who had a notable influence on him.
He has made concert tours of Germany, Portugal, Belgium, England and Italy, with extraordinary critical and public success, always standing out for his great musicality and artistic maturity.
He has been a soloist with the Israel Chamber Orchestras, Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Pro-Música and Madrid Symphony, Bilbao Symphony, ROSS in Seville, Collegium Bonn Musicum , BBC Symphony etc., under the direction of maestros García Asensio, Spiteri , Bolet , Wolf Ferrari, Ziino , Platen , Lockaert , Commissioner, etc.
His prizes and awards include the Extraordinary Prize for Chamber Music, the “End of Degree” Honor Award, Diploma and Silver Medal at the Pozzoli International Competition in Seregno (Italy), Diploma and Gold Medal at the “ Viotti ” International Competition ” in Vercelli (Italy), “Ibañez de Betolaza ” Prize, Prize in the International Competition “F. Bussoni ” in Bolzano (Italy), Absolute First Prize in the Musical Interpretation Contest organized by RNE and the General Directorate of Fine Arts, Cruz de Alfonso X “El Sabio”.
He has made recordings for RNE, Canal Sur Televisión as well as recorded records for Movieplay and Etnos, obtaining with the latter the Ministry of Culture Award for the complete Preludes for piano by Padre Donosti .
She is regularly invited to be a member of the Jury of important Piano Competitions, as well as to teach piano improvement courses.
Since 1978 she has been Professor of Piano by opposition at the Superior Conservatory of Music of Seville. In 2003, she entered the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Santa Isabel de Hungría in Seville as a Numerary Academician. In 2007, she joined the faculty of the Madrid Royal Conservatory of Music as a professor.
HORTENSE CARTIER-BRESSON
VOCAL
French pianist.
Renowned for her profound musical insight and a remarkable sense of presence, Hortense Cartier-Bresson invites listeners into a world where every phrase breathes and every silence speaks. Her performances combine clarity of thought with a rare emotional resonance, offering audiences moments of genuine connection and beauty.
Trained from an early age at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, she met the legendary Hungarian pianist György Sebők in 1979, whose influence led her to continue her studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Only a few years later, she was hailed as “one of the most remarkable pianists of her generation,” winning Third Prize at the Liszt– Bartók Competition in Budapest in 1981.
Her career soon blossomed on the international stage. She has appeared in recital and as soloist with leading orchestras such as the Orchestre de Paris under Riccardo Chailly and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra with Antal Dorati.
A passionate and inspiring teacher, Cartier-Bresson is internationally acclaimed for her pedagogical excellence. Appointed Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSMDP) in 2011, she later joined the Universität der Künste Berlin (UDK) as Guest Professor. She shares her artistry in masterclasses throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States, and frequently serves on the juries of major international competitions.
Her discography reflects both depth and curiosity: Bartók (Accord/Universal), Chopin’s two Concertos in the chamber version (Maestria Records), and Brahms’s late piano works Op. 116–118 (Aparté Music, 2020) — all met with critical acclaim. Her 2022 album for Aparté unites Bach with the Second Viennese School (Berg, Schoenberg, Webern), a bold and illuminating dialogue across centuries.
A devoted chamber musician, she performs with Roger Muraro, Pierre Fouchenneret, Ayako Tanaka, Raphaël Oleg, François Salque, Xavier Gagnepain, Nicolas Baldeyrou, and the Quatuor Ébène.
Hortense Cartier-Bresson is the artistic director of the Festival Musique à la Prée, in France.
STEPHAN MÖLLER
VOCAL
German pianist.
German pianist. Since his sensational success at the Vienna Beethoven Piano Competition in 1985, the pianist Stephan Möller has gained worldwide reputation as a pioneering Beethoven interpreter. His repertoire includes all 32 piano sonatas and five piano concertos by this composer, works he has also repeatedly performed in complete cycles. His concert activities have taken him all over Europe, to North and South America, Japan, Korea and China. In 2020, he planned a worldwide concert-tour “Beethoven 32×32”, featuring 32 integral performances of Beethoven’s piano sonatas on 6 continents!
Besides playing the general repertoire, Stephan Möller is focussing on the Viennese Classics, Beethoven in particular, and Liszt’s transcriptions on Wagner operas and Beethoven symphonies. His CD recordings include such rarities as Beethoven’s “Grosse Fuge”, performed four-hands with himself on a computer-assisted Bösendorfer concert-grand, and the complete piano works of Richard Wagner.
Stephan Möller, born in Hamburg, Germany, received his degrees as a pianist and orchestra conductor at the “Mozarteum” in Salzburg, Austria. From 1983-89, he was an artistic assistant to Herbert von Karajan at the Salzburg Festival. From 1990, Stephan Möller taught for 30 years at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He is frequently invited to give masterclasses and lectures at home and abroad, and adjudicate at international piano competitions. His main pedagogical concerns are to unite theory and practice in performance, and to elaborate each composer’s “stylistic fingerprint”.
Since 1998, Stephan Möller has been president of the association “Vienna International Pianists” and director of their annual festival, the “VIP Academy”. In 2009, he founded the “International Rosario Marciano Piano Competition”.
GRAHAM SCOTT
VOCAL
English pianist.
Graham is Head of the School of Keyboard Studies. Hailed by the Gramophone magazine as “an exceptional talent” he has performed extensively throughout the world most notably in New York (92nd St. Y), Washington DC (Kennedy Center), Los Angeles (Ambassador Auditorium), Tokyo (Suntory Hall), Beijing (Beijing Concert Hall), Paris (Bagatelle) as well as all the major London venues (Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Barbican Centre.)
He has performed with leading orchestras, notably the London Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Belgium National Symphony, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinlandpfalz (standing in for Martha Argerich), Cape Town Symphony, Singapore Symphony, St Louis Symphony and the New York Chamber Symphony under such conductors as Sir Charles Groves, Bernhard Klee, Marin Alsop, Paul Daniel, Barry Wordsworth and Alexander Lazarev.
Graham’s discography includes CDs of works by Scriabin, Gershwin, Macmillan and a live recital CD from Los Angeles. He has broadcast on BBC Radio and National Public Radio in the USA.
Graham studied with Professor Ryszard Bakst at both Chetham’s School of Music and the RNCM. He became the first artist to win both the YCA Inc. auditions in New York and the YCAT auditions in London. He also won the Dudley National Piano Competition and the Jaen International Piano Competition in Spain.
Since 2007 he has held the position of Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music and the Artistic Director of the RNCM James Mottram International Piano Competition. He has previously been a member of the jury of the Horowitz Competition in Ukraine, Jaen International Piano Competition in Spain and the YCAT auditions.
Graham has taught at many summer schools most notably Musicfest Perugia in Italy, the Colburn Festival Academy in Los Angeles, the Chethams International Piano Summer School in Manchester and the Beijing International Music Festival and Academy.
ALBA VENTURA
VOCAL
Spanish pianist.
Alba Ventura is the heir to the great legacy of the Spanish piano school, represented by the tradition of the Acadèmia Marshall, founded by Enrique Granados in 1901. This interpretative style was preserved by Granados’ disciple, Frank Marshall, and passed on to Ventura by Carlota Garriga and Alicia de Larrocha. This pianism, complemented by training in the Russian tradition with teachers and mentors such as Dimitri Bashkirov, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and, most notably, Irina Zaritskaya, provides Ventura with great artistic solidity and versatility.
Born in Barcelona, Alba Ventura made her solo debut at the age of thirteen with the Cadaqués Orchestra and Sir N. Marriner in San Sebastián and at the National Music Auditorium. Since then, her solo career has continued to grow with invitations to perform at venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Barbican, St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Musikverein, Cité de la Musique in Paris, and Moscow’s Svetlanovsky Hall, among others, in addition to performing in Spain’s leading concert halls. Her international activities have also taken her to the United States, Colombia, Argentina, New Zealand, and China. She has been conducted by prominent figures such as Antonini, Harth-Bedoya, Hogwood, Diakun, Pons, Oue, Ros Marbà, and Vásary, and has collaborated with major orchestras such as the Philharmonia and Hallé, London Mozart Players, the Hungarian National Philharmonic, the Czech National Symphony, and Spain’s principal orchestras.
Alba Ventura is also a devoted chamber musician and has collaborated with artists such as Elisabeth Leonskaja; violinists Francisco Fullana, Boris Belkin, Gordan Nikolic, Lina Tur Bonet and Tai Murray; and the Brodsky, Takács, and Casals quartets. Among the distinctions she has received are the Queen Elizabeth Rosebowl presented by the Prince of Wales, her success at the international auditions of the Young Concert Artist Trust (YCAT), her inclusion in the Rising Stars program promoted by ECHO (European Concert Halls Organisation), the IMPULSA Prize from the Prince of Girona Foundation, the Albéniz Medal from the Isaac Albéniz Foundation, and the MIN Award for best classical music album for the first volume of the complete Mozart piano sonatas.
Alba Ventura is the director of the Acadèmia Marshall.
