“The Maria Canals’ biggest prize is to help young talents to fulfill their dreams”.

Carlos Cebro, Artistic Director

Member of:

Presentation

El proper mes de març se celebrarà el 70è Concurs Internacional de Música Maria Canals al Palau de la Música Catalana. Between March 23 and April 3, Barcelona will be filled with piano music with the best candidates from all over the world to obtain the valuable awards offered by the Maria Canals Competition. The winners take home more than €80,000 in prizes. When spring comes, Barcelona welcomes young talents who are passionate about playing the piano and wish to pursue a career as pianists.

COMPETITION SCHEDULE 2025


El concurs tindrà lloc entre el 23 de març i el 3 d’abril de 2025

FIRST ROUND
Petit Palau
23 març 2025
10h  
24 març 2025
10:00 am / 5:00 pm
25 març 2025
10:00 am / 5:00 pm

Morning or afternoon session

5 euros


Buy tickets

SECOND ROUND
Petit Palau
27 març 2025
10:00 am / 5:00 pm 
28 març 2025
10:00 am / 5:00 pm

Morning or afternoon session

5 euros


Buy tickets

SEMIFINAL
Petit Palau
30 març 2025
10:00 am / 5:00 pm

Morning or afternoon session

10 euros


Buy tickets

GRAND FINALE
Concert hall of the Palau de la Música Catalana
2 d’abril 2025
8 pm 
JONC
Manel Valdivieso
Director

Stalls

40 / 25 euros

1st floor

40 / 25 / 20 euros

2nd floor

20 / 15 / 10 euros


Buy tickets

Del 23 al 30 de març

Rounds and semi-final

Les proves, que se celebren al Petit Palau, són un autèntic espectacle per als amants del piano. Un luxe estètic i experiencial en el qual pots fer una autèntica immersió al gran repertori per a piano. La primera prova tindrà lloc entre el 23 i el 25 de març, la segona el 27 i el 28 de març, i la semifinal, on hi arribaran només els 6 millors concursants, serà el dia 30 de març. El públic general pot assistir a totes les jornades.

El 2 d’abril

Grand Finale

La Gran Final del Concurs és la festa més grossa del pianisme a Barcelona. Tres finalistes es baten per aconseguir la primera posició a la Sala de Concerts del Palau, amb orquestra i obres essencials del repertori sota la mirada del jurat i un públic entregat. Aquesta fita, que se celebra des de 1954, es realitza en col·laboració amb la Fundació Banc Sabadell i és retransmesa en directe per l’emissora pública Catalunya Música. La Gran Final del 70è Concurs Maria Canals tindrà lloc el dimecres, 2 d’abril de 2025.

JONC, the orchestra for the Grand Finale

Young musicians for young pianists

The Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya was founded in September 1993. Its main goal has been to offer an orchestral training to young musicians and to actively collaborate in their employability. The JONC has also provided a high-quality cultural product, accessible to everyone thanks to its social and educational purposes.

The JONC consists of musicians aged between 19 and 25. It plays in the Grand Finale of the Maria Canals International Music Competition since 2015.

The Venue

The Palau de la Música Catalana

The Palau de la Música Catalana has hosted the Maria Canals Competition since 1954. The youngest and most talented international pianists have the chance to perform in this iconic venue. The rounds take place in the Petit Palau and only the best three contestants perform on this modernist stage, which is full of history. The offices of the Competition are located in its facilities.

El 3 d’abril

Prize ceremony

Després de més de deu dies de gran intensitat, és el moment de la celebració i el reconeixement als guanyadors. El dia següent de la Gran Final, el 3 d’abril, el Saló de Cent de l’Ajuntament de Barcelona acull el lliurament de premis. Un homenatge de tota la ciutat a l’esforç dels guardonats, el jurat i també a tots els donants de premis, essencials per fer possible aquesta festa del pianisme mundial.

El jurat de 2025


Secretary of the jury

Montse Brunet Agustí

Prizes

Main prizes

Special prizes

Special concert prizes

Concert prizes

Naxos prize

Main prizes

First Prize 

Fundació Occident Award
25.000 euros 

Golden medal offered by Bagués-Masriera Joiers 

Second Prize 

Fundació Carulla Prize 
10.000 Euros 

Medal offered by Capdevila, Joiers i Argenters

Third Prize 

Maria Canals Prize
6.000 Euros 

Medal offered by Sant, Joieria i Argenteria 


Semi-finalist 

Forth place 

Mariona Guarro de Martínez Girona Prize 
1.500 Euros 

Semi-finalist 

Five place

Museu de la Colònia Vidal Prize 
1.500 eurosv 

Semi-finalist

Sixth place 

Joan-Artur Roura i Comas Prize 
1.500 Euros 

Special prizes

Família Vallribera-Mir IV Prize Pere Vallribera Moliné

Best interpreter of Enrique Granados

Prize of 1500 euros and several concerts, offered by the Family Vallribera-Mir to the best music performer by Enric Granados. 

Solfa Recordings 

Audience prize 

25 hours of recording and editing offered by Solfa Recordings to the winner of the Audience Award. 

Fundació Manuel Blancafort 

Best performer of Manuel Blancafort's music (1897-1987) 

1.500 euro prize offered by Fundació Frederic Mompou to the best semi-finalist performer of Frederic Mompou music from second round 

(To consult the catalog of his work: www.fundaciomompou.cat). 

Fundació Pública Isaac Albéniz de Camprodon 

Best performer of Isaac Albéniz (1893-1987) music 

Prize of 1,000 euros offered by the Public Foundation Museu Isaac Albéniz de Camprodon to the best performer of the music of Isaac Albéniz and a possible recital in Camprodon. 

Fundació Frederic Mompou 

Best performer of the music of Frederic Mompou (1893-1987) 

Prize of 1,500 euros offered by the Frederic Mompou Foundation to the best semifinalist performing Frederic Mompou's music from the second test (To consult the catalog of his work: www.fundaciomompou.cat). 

Special concert prizes

Fundació Frederic Mompou 

Recital offered by the Frederic Mompou Foundation to the best performer of Frederic Mompou's music from the second round, in the Nous Valors & Clàssica de Joventuts Musicals de Barcelona season 

Instituto Cervantes de Palermo 

Recital offered by the Instituto Cervantes in Palermo to the best ranked Spanish-American contestant in the second round. 

Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Barcellona 

Recital offered by the Istituto Italiano di cultura di Barcellona to the best Italian performer who ranks among the top 10. 

Concert Prizes

Fundación Occident - Concert with Orchestra in Seville 

A minimum of one concert with the Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla during its season at the Teatro de la Real Maestranza, offered to the winner of the competition. 

Fundación Occident - Concert with Orchestra in Bilbao 

A minimum of one concert with the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra during its season at the Eskalduna Palace offered to the winner of the competition. 

Fundación Occident - Concert with Orchestra in Tenerife 

A minimun of one concert with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra during its season at the Auditorio de Tenerife, offered to the winner of the competition.

Fundación Occident - Concert with Orchestra in Madrid 

A minimum of one concert with the Madrid Symphony Orchestra during its season at the Auditorio Nacional, offered to the winner of the competition. 

 

L’Auditori – Barcelona 

A concert in L'Auditori de Barcelona in Festival Emergents

Fundació Orfeó Català – Palau de la Música Catalana

Conciert offered to one of the finalists in its concert season

Elvira Farreras de Gaspar Prize 

A concert offered by Gaspar Farreras family to one of the finalists at Jardí dels Tarongers of Barcelona. The pianista will perform some of the suggested works by the organization. 

Maria Rosa Jorba Prize Maria Rosa Jorba de Centrós

A concert offered by family Cendrós Jorba, at Teatre Romea, to one of the top 6 ranked contestants. The winner of the prize has to perform a minimum of one concert by Catalan composer. 

Joan-Artur Roura i Comas Prize

Recital in Ateneu Barcelonès offered by Joan-Artur Roura to the semifinalist winner of his prize.

Festival Pianino, Cartoixa de Valldemossa – Mallorca 

Recital at the Pianino Festival held in the Carthusian Monastery of Valldemossa (Mallorca) offered to a finalist contestant. 

Instituto Cervantes Winners & Masters – Munic 

Piano recital at the Gasteig in Munich offered by the Cervantes Institute in Munich and Winners & Masters to one of the finalist contestants. 

Real Academia de España en Roma 

Piano recital at the Real Academia de España in Rome offered to one of the finalists, who will perform the work commissioned by the institution to a resident composer or perform at least one piece by a contemporary Spanish composer.

Centro de divulgación musical del Mediterráneo

Recital within the Concert Series Música con Encanto de Marbella offered to one of the finalists. 

Wu Promotion

A tour in China offered by Wu Promotion to a finalist contestant. 

Ajuntament d’Olot

Recital at the Teatre Principal in Olot on the occasion of the presentation of the CD of the sonatas by the composer Antoni Soler offered by the Olot City Council to the winner of the competition.

Fundació Lluís Coromina Prize

A concert offered by the Lluís Coromina Foundation on occasion of the summer festival in the Auditori de Girona to one of the finalists.

Concert de l’Ajuntament de Teià

Concert dins del cicle de concert “Remor”, organitzat per l’Ajuntament de Teià.

Observations

* This list of concerts that the organization of the Competition offers to the winning Contestants may be modified until the Closing Ceremony and Award Ceremony (see updates at www.mariacanals.cat.) During the last days of the Contest the finalists will be given the opportunity to audition with management agencies, which may offer them contracts and concerts. 

Naxos prize

Record of Naxos CD

Recording of a CD with the Naxos record label offered to the winner of the first prize, with sonatas by the Catalan composer Antoni Soler (1729-1783).

Naxos prize

Record of Naxos CD

Recording of a CD with the Naxos record label offered to the winner of the first prize, with sonatas by the Catalan composer Antoni Soler (1729-1783).

Prize winners


The best of the 69th edition 2024

Xiaolu Zang


Uladzislau Khandohi


Chun Lam U


Xiaolu Zang

FIRST PRIZE FUNDACIÓ OCCIDENT

Xiaolu Zang was awarded the second prize at the 20th Paloma
O'Shea Santander. He was winner of the ZF Music Prize and of the international piano competition of
Verona. Xiaolu performed in concert halls such as Regentenbau Bad Kissingen, Graf-Zeppelin-Haus,
Friedrichshafen, Konzerthaus Ravensburg, Salle Cortot, Teatro Filarmonico Verona y Centro Nacional
Beijing Performing Arts Festival, among others. His orchestral collaborations include
Southwest German Philharmonic Orchestra Constance, Lower Saxony State Orchestra Hanover, Orchestre
Royal de Chambre de Wallonia, among others, with conductors such as Pablo Gonzalez, Douglas Bostock,
Hankyeol Yoon, Frank Braley or Valtteri Rauhalammi.

Xiaolu began his professional studies at the Central Conservatory of Music High School in
Beijing Music under the tutelage of Professor Ye Lin. In 2017 he was admitted to the University of
Music, Drama and Media from Hannover to study with Professor Arie Vardi,
with whom he will continue his master's studies in April 2024.

Uladzislau Khandohi

SECOND PRIZE FUNDACIÓ CARULLA

Nascut el 7 d’octubre de 2001 a Minsk, Bielorússia, el 2013 va ingressar a l’Escola de Música
Republicana de l’Acadèmia Estatal de Música de Bielorússia. El 2014 va guanyar el primer premi en
el segon Festival Internacional de Música Clàssica i Concurs per a Joves Pianistes
“Astana Piano Passion”, de Kazakhstan. El mateix any va ser guardonat amb el primer lloc en el
Concurs Internacional Nutcratcker de Moscú.

El 2016 va gravar el seu primer àlbum en solitari pel segell Melodiya. Des de 2020, Vladislav és
alumne de Natalia Trull al Conservatori Estatal de Moscú. El 2021 va rebre el primer premi en el XXXII
Concurs Internacional de Ferrol, Espanya, i el primer premi en el segon Concurs Internacional
de Sanremo, Itàlia. El juny de 2022 es proclamà finalista del prestigiós concurs de piano The Cliburn a
Fort-Worth, i el 2023 obtingué el segon premi en el Concurs Internacional de Piano de Sidney.

U Chun Lam

TERCER PREMI MARIA CANALS

Nascut i criat a Hong Kong, el pianista U Chun Lam va començar els seus estudis de piano en
l’Acadèmia GMC amb Rizzo Chung i actualment estudia en el Conservatori Oberlin sota la tutela de
Dang Thai Son.

Chun Lam ha aconseguit contínuament els primers premis en molts concursos internacionals. Els
seus triomfs inclouen premis en el Concurs Internacional de Piano George Enescu, el Concurs de
Piano Júnior Van Cliburn, el Concurs Internacional d’Ettlingen per a Joves Pianistes, el Concurs
Internacional Mozart de Zhuhai per a Joves Músics i el Concurs Internacional de Piano d’Hanoi.

Chun Lam ha col·laborat amb moltes orquestres, incloent-hi l’Orquestra Filharmònica George Enescu,
l’Orquestra Simfònica de Fort Worth, els Solistes de Cambra de Salzburg, l’Orquestra Simfònica
VNAM i l’Orquestra Simfònica Juvenil d’Hong Kong, actuant sota la batuta de Kensho Watanabe, Peter
Bay, Lavard Skou-Larsen i David Gomez Ramírez.

©2024 Concurs Internacional de Música Maria Canals Barcelona By Leandro Miró / StudioAparte

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Contact

Associació del Concurs Internacional
de Música Maria Canals de Barcelona

Palau de la Música Catalana
4-6 Palau de la Música
08003 Barcelona

General attention to the public

00 34 93 295 72 51
info@mariacanals.cat
concurs@mariacanals.cat

Communications

comunicacio@mariacanals.cat
00 34 635 392 887

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