The Iturbi Prize of the Provincial Council of Valencia returns to the Palau de la Música. The 23rd edition of the prestigious Valencia International Piano Competition will be held from this Wednesday with 20 young talents of 11 nationalities. Four Spanish pianists are competing in a competition that can be followed in person with free admission until full capacity is reached, or by streaming on the Provincial Council of Valencia’s YouTube channel:
The 20 hopefuls will open the first phase of the competition on Wednesday in the Sala Rodrigo of the Palau, in which they will perform the works they themselves have selected in five sessions: the morning of 4 June (10 am – 2 pm); and on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 June in the morning (10 am – 2 pm) and afternoon (4:30 pm). On the same Friday, starting at 7:30 pm, an extraordinary concert (the only paying concert with tickets costing between 10 and 20 euros) is scheduled at the Palau de la Música, with Marta Menezes at the piano and the Orquesta de Valencia conducted by Pablo González.
The 10 best pianists in the jury’s opinion will go on to the semi-final on 7 and 8 June, with two sessions at 10 am and 4:30 pm. The semi-finalists will again perform the pieces of their choice, to which they will add a compulsory piece: ‘Gra’, by the composer Sebastián Mariné. The six finalists of this year’s edition will compete for a place in the Grand Final on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 June in the Sala Iturbi of the Palau (6 pm), performing pieces by Beethoven with orchestra. Finally, the three best finalists will compete for the prizes on Friday 13 starting at 7 pm in the same Sala Iturbi. All the sessions of the competition will be free of charge, including the Closing Gala at the Teatro Principal (Saturday 14, at 7:30 pm), for which tickets must be booked in advance at www.servientradas.com
The jury is chaired by the Bilbao pianist Joaquín Achúcarro, who has triumphed in the most prestigious halls of 61 countries after his successful debut with the London Symphony. He will be accompanied by the Artistic Director of the event and one of the most renowned pianists of her generation, Ana Guijarro; the founder and Artistic Director of the Piano aux Jacobins Festival, Catherine d’Argoubet; the artistic manager and promoter of young talent, Paul Hugues; the pianist Jorge Luis Prats; the composer and artistic director Nicola Sani; the pianist and pedagogue Nikolai Demidenko; the Secretary-General of the Geneva International Music Competition, Didier Schnorhk; and the international concert pianist Janina Fialkowska.
The Spanish hopefuls
There are four Spanish pianists among the 20 young talents participating in the Iturbi Prize 2025, after a selection process involving 200 candidates from 40 countries:
Juan Pedro García Oliva
Born in 2001, he is one of the most outstanding young classical musicians at an international level. He has won the first prize, audience prize and best chamber music performance and the prize for the best performance of the work ‘Ti’afa’a’ by the composer Reza Navamar at the Youri Egorov Grand Prix 2022 in Amsterdam.
He has attended masterclasses with renowned musicians such as Aimard, Voskresensky, Kozhukhin, Madzar and Indjic, and has performed in major venues in the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain, including the Teatro Villamarta, the Auditorio Nacional de Música and the Palacio de San Telmo. He is currently studying with Professor Boris Berman at Yale University.
Fortunato Salvador García Piquer
The pianist from Onda (Castellón) began his musical career at the Centro de Enseñanzas Artísticas Profesionales de Música in his home town, where he specialised in clarinet and piano. He graduated with the highest distinction and was awarded the Prize for Excellence in piano studies in 2018. In 2022, he obtained his degree at the Conservatori Superior de Música Salvador Seguí with a high distinction and the Prize for Academic Excellence of the Regional Government of Valencia, studying with Juan Carlos Cornelles. In 2024, he graduated cum laude with a Master’s Degree in Classical Music Performance from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, where she is pursuing her doctorate
He has attended masterclasses with Angela Hewitt, Dina Yoffe and Till Fellner, among others. He was a semi-finalist in the M.K. Čiurlionis Competition (2023); a finalist in the Gabriel Teruel Competition (2022); he won second prize in Laine Mets (2021); first prize in Heljo Sepp (2022); the absolute prize in the Yamaha Piano Competition (2024); and first prize in the EAMT Soloist Competition (2023) and in the 10th Estonian Pianists Competition (2024).
Emin Kiourktchian
Born in Cordoba, he comes from a family with a strong musical heritage. He began his career at the age of six with his mother, the pianist Larisa Tedtoeva. Despite his young age, he has given numerous performances in Andalusia and participated in various festivals. In April 2021, he won the City of Albacete National Young Pianist Competition and was admitted to study at the Reina Sofía School in Madrid with Professor Milana Chernyavska.
He has received masterclasses from renowned pianists such as Leonskaja, Shereshvskaya, Berman, Ovchinnikov and Martínez Mehner. His recent successes include first prize at the Frechilla-Zuloaga Competition in Valladolid (November 2023), and third prize at the International City of Malaga Competition (June 2024).
Eugenia Sánchez Durán
Born in Murcia in 2004, she studied with Professor Leo de María and Maestro Leonel Morales at the Alfonso X el Sabio University in Madrid. She has won several prizes in Spain and abroad, among them first prize at the International Piano Competition of Spanish Composers in Las Rozas (Madrid); the Preisträgerkonzert Prize at the Internationale Sommerakademie of the Mozarteum University of Salzburg (2022); and fourth prize at the Épinal International Piano Competition (2025).
She has performed in important halls such as the Max-Schlereth Saal and the Solitär Hall in Salzburg; Carnegie Hall in New York (USA); the Shenzhen Concert Hall (China); the Slovak Philharmonic; and the Théâtre de La Rotonde (France). In addition, she has received masterclasses from professors such as Pavel Gililov, Natalia Trull, John Perry, Sa Chen, Enrico Pace and Andrea Bonata.
United States and China
Alongside Spain, the countries with the largest representation in the competition are the United States and China, with three candidates each:
Robert Carlson (USA)
Originally from a small town in central Virginia, the American pianist began playing the piano at the age of eight. He currently resides in New York, where he is a Doctor of Musical Arts student at the CUNY Graduate Center, an Assistant Professor of Music at Hunter College and a student of Soyeon Kate Lee.
Robert performs throughout the United States and Europe as a soloist and chamber musician. Recent influences include Jeremy Denk, Conor Hanick and Julio Elizalde, and his full-time teachers include Paulo Steinberg, Emily Yap Chua and Nicholas Ross.
Antoni Kleczek (USA)
The New York Concert Review has described Antoni Kleczek as a pianist who “possesses a musical maturity far beyond his years”. Antoni has won first prizes in numerous international piano competitions, including the Chopin in Hannover and Warsaw, the Arthur Rubinstein in Memoriam in Bydgoszcz, the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin in Washington D.C., the Szafarnia Chopin and the Rosalyn Tureck Bach in New York.
Antoni has performed as soloist with the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Sinfonia luventus Orchestra of Poland and the Washington D. C. National Philharmonic, and has had the privilege of working with pianists such as Horacio Gutierrez, Piotr Paleczny, Kirill Gerstein and Jeffrey Swann.
Min Joo Yi (USA)
Korean-American pianist Min Joo Yi is a PhD student in Piano Performance under the tutelage of Professor Yong-Hi Moon at the Peabody Conservatory, where she also completed her Master’s Degree in Music and Bachelor’s Degree in Music in Piano Performance. Her performances have captivated audiences in the United States and Europe, especially at the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Klavierhaus in New York, the Hilbert Circle Theater in Indianapolis, the Miami New World Center and the Rostropovich Auditorium in Paris.
Among her awards, she has been recognised at the Gurwitz Competition 2024 (Jury Prize); the Tchaikovsky Competition 2023 (quarterfinalist); the Verona Competition 2022 (soloist finalist); the Caswell and Constance Caplan Fellowship for Professional Development 2020-2021 (winner); and the Concours International Piano Campus 2019 (Bronze Medal).
Yungyung Guo (China)
Hailed as a ‘rising star’ (BNN Breaking), the Chinese pianist has performed at venues such as the Sydney Opera House and Shanghai Symphony Auditorium, and with orchestras including the Sydney Symphony, Mexico City Philharmonic and Shanghai Philharmonic, working with conductors such as Benjamin Northey, Umberto Clerici and Scott Yoo. As a chamber musician, she has performed with cellist Li-Wei Qin.
Yungyung was third in the Sydney International Piano Competition, first in the Gurwitz International Piano Competition and second in the New Orleans International Piano Competition. She has also been awarded the Bao Gang Prize and numerous prestigious scholarships. Born in Hong Kong, she is currently studying with Moye Chen at the Shanghai Conservatory.
Tiantuo Li (China)
Born in Hangzhou, he began his musical journey at the age of four and made his debut at the age of five. He has performed at prestigious venues such as the Shanghai Grand Theatre and the He Luting Concert Hall. His orchestral collaborations include Chopin’s Second Concerto with the Santa Monica Symphony (2019) and Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto with the Shanghai Philharmonic (2020), conducted by Maestro Xiao’ou Zhao.
Tiantuo has won awards at the WPTA International Piano Competition in Spain (first prize) and the World Piano Teachers Association International Piano Competition (second prize). His accolades include victories at the Shenzhen Piano Open and the ‘Tsinghai Cup’, as well as the Yamaha Scholarship Auditions. With technical brilliance and expressive depth, he continues to establish himself as a rising artist.
Yifan Wu (China)
The young Chinese artist has made his musical mark in several concert halls after achieving successes such as first prize at the Singapore International Piano Competition and fifth prize at the Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition in China. His concerts with the Shenzhen Symphony, Shanghai Philharmonic and Wuhan Philharmonic were highly praised by the public.
In 2024, he attended the Piano Summer organised by pianist Vladimir Feltsman. During the event, he was awarded first prize in the Jacob Flier International Piano Competition and was invited by the Feltsman Piano Foundation to make his Carnegie Weill Hall debut with his All-Schumannen programme in March 2025.
Italy and South Korea
Other countries, such as South Korea and Italy, have two participants in the competition. Italy’s Elia Cecino was the winner of the previous edition of the Iturbi Competition in 2023:
Davide Cava (Italy)
Originally from Turin, he began his musical studies at the age of four. He graduated with highest honours in piano performance at the State Conservatory of Turin, where he studied with Luigi Dominici and Marina Scalafiotti. He continued his training at the Accademia di Pinerolo and the Talent Music Master Course in Brescia, and was awarded a full scholarship to the Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, where he received a Performer’s Diploma and a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance with Joaquín Achúcarro.
Davide has won numerous awards, including Silver Medal at the Panama City Piano Competition, and was a semi-finalist at the Rome International Piano Competition. He has performed in Europe and America. In 2024, he made his debut at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena and at the Festival of Úbeda in Spain. He is also a soloist in Fever’s Candlelight series, which includes tributes to classical and film music.
Ruggiero Fiorella (Italy)
Born in 2002, he is currently studying with Pavel Gililov at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and with Eliso Virsaladze. Ruggiero began piano studies at the age of seven, later graduating from the Florence Conservatory. He then obtained a Master’s Degree at the Mozarteum, in the class of Claudius Tanski, and was also tutored by Riccardo Risaliti in Italy.
Ruggiero performs regularly in halls across Europe and has won prizes in national and international competitions, including second prize at the Fvg International Competition in 2024 and third place at the Premio Venezia in 2022. He has attended classes with renowned musicians such as Bruno Canino, Jerome Rose, Dmitri Alexeev, and Robert Levin. Since 2017, he has been a member of Trio ad Libitum, the 2021 winner of the Italian National Prize for the Arts.
Hyelee Kang (South Korea)
Pianist Hyelee Kang gained international recognition as a finalist in the 63rd Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. She was named the first Austrian-Korean Young Musicians’ Scholarship Holder and received support from the DAAD and the Clavarte Foundation. She won first prize at the Vienna International Competition in Baku and received praise from jury chairman Farhad Badalbeyli. Hyelee debuted as a Kumho Young Talent, winning first prizes at national competitions, including the prestigious Chopin and Liszt of South Korea.
She graduated from Seoul National University with highest honours and has won awards in numerous prestigious competitions, including the Asia-Pacific Chopin, Anton Bruckner, Karlrobert Kreiten and Jacob Flier. She studied with Professor Hee-Sung Joo and Professor Pavel Gililov and is currently studying the Konzertexamen at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln with Professor Claudio Martínez Mehner and Nina Tichman.
Jiyoung Kim (South Korea)
The South Korean pianist based in Germany has received top prizes at important international competitions, such as third prize at the Maj Lind, and various awards at the Jacob Flier, the Munich Steinway, the Mendelssohn, the Tallinn, and the Tchaikovsky Young Musicians, as well as the Pnina Salzman Prize, among others.
Praised for her musical depth, she made her solo debut at Carnegie Hall and has performed at major venues such as the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Estonian Concert Hall and the Seoul Arts Centre. After her orchestral debut at the age of nine, Kim obtained her Bachelor’s Degree at Seoul National University and completed her Master’s Degree and Meisterklasse in Munich. He is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in New Music in Munich with Professor Antti Siirala and a Meisterklassenexamen in Leipzig with Professor Gerald Fauth.
Candidates from six other countries
Uladzislau Khandohi (Belarus)
Born in Minsk in 2001, he comes from a family of musicians famous for their mastery of the dulcimer. He started piano lessons at the age of seven and soon gained recognition. At ten, he won the Grand Prix at the Mendzelevskaya Open Competition in Mogilev, a year later he triumphed at the Sviridov in St Petersburg, and in 2014 he won first prize at the Astana Piano Passion Festival. He achieved worldwide recognition in 2016, becoming a finalist in the Gina Bachauer Competition and releasing his debut album with Melodiya. In 2020, he enrolled at the Moscow State Conservatory, subsequently winning prestigious competitions such as those in Ferrol and Sanremo. He was a finalist at the Cliburn Piano Competition in 2022 and won second prize at the Sydney International Piano Competition in 2023.
Rafael Kyrychenko (Portugal)
Born in the Azores, he began his studies at the age of five with his mother, Cristina Pliousnina. He won his first international prize at the age of eight in Palma de Mallorca, and since then has won prizes in Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Estonia, San Marino, Cyprus and the United States. He has studied with renowned teachers such as Entremont, Bashkirov and Maria João Pires, and has performed at the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Salle Cortot, among other major venues. Rafael graduated with distinction from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and studied at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth and at the Escuela Superior Reina Sofia with Professor Milana Chernyavska.
Danylo Saienko (Ukraine)
He was born in 1991 in Lviv. After studying at the S. Krushelnytska Specialized Music School in his hometown with Yuriy Moysak, he continued his training at the Mykola Lysenko National Academy of Music with Jozef Ermin. As a pianist, he has won important awards at international competitions, including first prizes at the Maria Canals in Barcelona (2015), the Palma d’Oro IPC (2023) and l’Ile de France in Paris (2022). Praised for his technical prowess and expressive interpretations, Danylo is also involved in several projects as a jazz-fusion pianist and composer.
Natalie Schwamova (Czech Republic)
She began her piano studies at the age of six in Prague and has been awarded prizes in more than 20 international competitions, including the youngest winner of the Chopin de Marienbad. She has performed as a soloist with major orchestras in Europe and America, including the Pilsen Philharmonic, the Prague Chamber Philharmonic and the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic. She has given recitals at the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, the Palau de la Música Catalana and the Warsaw National Philharmonic, and this year made her debut with the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2023, she received the award for the most outstanding student of her professorship, presented by Her Majesty Queen Sofia.
Arsen Dalibaltayan (Croatia)
Since his orchestral debut at the age of nine, he has performed successfully in more than a dozen countries. He completed his studies with Jasna Reba at the Pavla Markovca Music School in Zagreb and continued his studies with Ruben Dalibaltayan and Pavel Gililov. Arsen has been a prize-winner in various European competitions, and since 2014 he has held a scholarship at the International Academy of Music of the Principality of Liechtenstein, participating in the intensive music weeks taught there by professors Chernyavska, Giliov and Martínez Mehner. As artist-in-residence at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, he has organised a series of special concert projects for the 2024/2025 season.
Nabeel Hayek (Israel)
A graduate of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, where he studied with Arie Vardi and Asaf Zohar, he holds a Master’s Degree from the Juilliard School with Julian Martin. Since 2017, Hayek has been mentored by Murray Perahia. Looking ahead, he will continue his studies to become a Doctor of Musical Arts at Juilliard. Nabeel is an active chamber musician and collaborative pianist with extensive experience, and continues to expand his solo repertoire with a passion for contemporary and 20th century music. Hayek has given recitals in Europe, Asia and North America, and has performed for the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society and the Israel Philharmonic.
The prizes
The winner of the Iturbi will receive €30,000, the recording of a CD and participation in a concert tour; and the second and third place winners will receive €20,000 and €10,000 respectively and participation in the tour with the winner. The three pianists who fall just short of the Grand Final will receive €5,000 each, and the best of them will receive an additional €3,000. There are also special prizes awarded by the Provincial Council of Valencia itself and by collaborators such as the Philharmonic Society of Valencia and Kawai. These prizes will recognise the best performance of Spanish music, a piece by Chopin, a Mozart sonata and a Beethoven concerto. Finally, the best contestant chosen by the public will receive €2,000 from Clemente Pianos.
