The
Iturbi
Prize
The Iturbi Prize was established in June 1981 with the aim of honouring and preserving the legacy of the great Valencian pianist José Iturbi, who passed away on June 28, 1980, in Beverly Hills, California. At the same time, it emerged as a platform to support young talents embarking on their careers in the demanding world of piano performance, just as Maestro Iturbi once did.
The Valencia Iturbi International Piano Competition, held biennially, celebrated its 22nd edition in 2023. It returns in 2025 with renewed enthusiasm to host its 23rd edition, reaffirming its commitment to artistic excellence and the promotion of emerging talent.
This new phase of the Iturbi Prize is marked by the appointment of the acclaimed Spanish pianist Joaquín Achúcarro as Artistic Director in December 2019. Under his leadership, and with the support of a newly formed Artistic Committee, the competition has adopted an updated format focused on the most meaningful aspects of piano interpretation, thereby redefining both its foundations and spirit.
The jury for the 23rd edition will feature leading figures from the world of music: Catherine d’Argoubet, Nikolai Demidenko, Janina Fialkowska, Ana Guijarro, Paul Hughes, Jorge Luis Prats, Nicola Sani, and Didier Schnorhk, under the presidency of Joaquín Achúcarro.
The Competition also benefits from the collaboration of the Orquestra de València, one of Spain’s most prominent and internationally renowned symphonic ensembles, based at the Palau de la Música de València.
Embodying the innovative spirit of José Iturbi—who brought the music of his time to major U.S. stages such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston, Chicago, and Detroit—the Prize is also committed to contemporary creation. For the 2025 edition, a commissioned work by composer Sebastián Mariné will be premiered during the Semifinals.
Over its more than forty-year history, the Competition has welcomed distinguished jury members including Alicia de Larrocha, Alexis Weissenberg, Jenő Jandó, John O’Conor, Pascal Rogé, Andrea Lucchesini, Henry Barda, Rosa Sabater, Maria Tipo, Sulamita Aronovsky, Dmitri Bashkirov, Joaquín Soriano, Joaquín Rodrigo, Joaquín Nin-Culmell, Eduardo López-Chávarri, and Menahem Pressler, among many others.
The Iturbi Prize has attracted participants from all five continents, with a particularly strong connection to pianists from the former Eastern Bloc during the final years of the Cold War—several of whom achieved top prizes.
The València Iturbi International Piano Competition is a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC), based in Geneva, which brings together the most prestigious music competitions worldwide. It is also part of the Alink-Argerich Foundation, a key reference point for internationally recognized piano competitions.
