23rd
València
Iturbi
International
Piano
Competition
From 4 to June 14, 2025
Ana Guijarro
Ana Guijarro, born in Madrid in 1955, is one of the most renowned pianists of her generation. Trained mainly at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid [Higher Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid] with the distinguished pianists Antonio Lucas Moreno and Carmen Díez Martín –her most decisive reference –she furthered her studies in Rome, with a scholarship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the direction of Guido Agosti and at the École Normale de Musique in Paris, under the advice of Marian Rybicki. At the end of her studies, she received the Perfection Prize and the Chamber Music Prize from the Madrid Conservatory, and at the Ecole Normale de Musique, she was awarded the Diplôme Supérieur d’Exécution, unanimously and with the congratulations of the jury, as well as a special prize for the best interpretation of F. Chopin.
From a very early age, she has given solo recitals and recitals in chamber music ensembles, as well as solo concerts with an orchestra. She has performed at prestigious concert halls in the most important European cities in: Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, Austria and England, as well as in Canada and the United States. She has made recordings for the State radio stations of Spain, Poland, Italian RAI, as well as for Canal Sur Television.
Ana has performed as a soloist with the National Orchestra of Porto, Montreal Chamber Players, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Region of Madrid, Andrés Segovia Orchestra, Royal Symphonic Orchestra of Seville, Philharmonic Orchestra of Malaga, with conductors Yuri Simonov, Viékoslav Sutej, Max Bragado, Leo Brower, Francisco de Gálvez, Manuel Hernández Silva, Juan Luis Pérez, José Luis Temes, Jeffrey Schindler, Ernst Martínez Izquierdo, Collin Metters and Luis Aguirre, among others.
She is a profound connoisseur of the piano works of the illustrious Sevillian composer Manuel Castillo (1930-2005), to whom she has devoted a large part of her professional career. Musicologists and researchers frequently call on her knowledge to write about the life and work of this renowned composer. She has recorded his piano works for the collection Documentos sonoros del Patrimonio Musical de Andalucía, the 1st Concerto for piano and orchestra with the Montreal Chamber Players, conducted by Francisco de Gálvez and the 2nd Concerto for piano and orchestra with the Symphonic Orchestra of Sevilla, conducted by Juan Luis Pérez, as well as the critical edition of the Toccata for piano for Tritó Edicions in Barcelona.
Ana has won several prizes and distinctions, including the Diploma of Honour in the International Chopin Competition, Warsaw 1980.
At the age of 27 she entered the body of Professors of Music and Performing Arts by competitive examination, combining since then her teaching work with her artistic career.
Deeply and actively interested in music teaching, she has been in great demand by young pianists from all over Spain and abroad to study under her tutelage since her outset as a Professor in Conservatories. She has countless students who hold positions of responsibility in music teaching, not only in Spain but also in other EU countries. She has also trained some of the most important figures in the current piano scene, some of them winners of the most prestigious international competitions.
She has been a Professor at the Conservatories of Alicante, Seville and Madrid, where she has also been Director.
Her masterclasses are highly acclaimed and she is frequently invited by renowned institutions.
She is frequently requested as a jury member of national and international competitions.
In 2021, she received the Gold Medal from the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid for her pedagogical and artistic career, and in recognition of her management of the institution.
Ana is currently Professor Emeritus at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid, an advisory member of the “Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía”, and President of the Scherzo Foundation. She has recently been appointed Artistic Director of the Iturbi International Festival of Valencia.
