Leo De María - Borderless (Live Recording) (2024)

A unique blend of technical skill, great sensitivity and deep passion in his playing has established Leo de María as one of the best performers of his generation.

Born in Madrid in 1995, he began his musical training at the age of 11. He studied at the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts of the Alfonso X el Sabio University in Madrid under the direction of Maestro Leonel Morales, and later completed his Master’s studies with Maestro Pavel Gililov at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. He is currently Piano Professor at the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts of the University Alfonso X El Sabio of Madrid (UAX) and the Superior School Forum Musikae (FMK).

Leo de María has won more than 40 national and international awards. Highlights include the First Prizes in the International Piano Competitions UNISA in Pretoria (February, 2024. South Africa), Ciudade de Ferrol (November, 2017. Spain), MozARTè (September, 2016. Germany), Grand Prix de Lyon (June, 2016. France), and the National Prize Cultura Viva to the Artistic Revelation (September, 2018. Spain).

He has been awarded with the Second Prize in the International Competitions Johann Nepomuk Hummel of Bratislava (WFIMC), Santa Cecilia of Oporto in Portugal (WFIMC), Épinal of France (WFIMC), Russian Music of Italy, Neue Sterne of Germany, Valsesia Musica of Milan and in the Rio de Janeiro Festival-Competition in Brazil.

He has also received the Third Prize in the International Competition Ettore Pozzoli of Seregno and in the Scriabin Competition of Grosseto in Italy. Likewise, in Spain at the Frechilla-Zuloaga Competition in Valladolid (Spain), as well as the Rosa Sabater Prize to the best Spanish music interpretation at the Jaén International Piano Prize.

At the age of 15 he performed his first concerto with orchestra (Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 1) with the Cukurova State Symphony Orchestra in Adana-Turkey.

Since then, his concert activity has taken him to different parts of the world, performing in the most prestigious concert halls such as the Laeishalle in Hamburg, Wiener Saal and Solitär Concert Hall in Salzburg, Casa da Música in Porto, Sala Reduta in Bratislava. In China at the Guotai Arts Center (Chonqing), Daning Theater (Shanghai), Cangjiang Theater (Xiamen), Fuzhou Grand Theater (Fuzhou), Elfers Concert Hall in Connecticut (USA), CKK Jordanki Auditorium (Torun-Poland), Sala Nezahualcóyotl in Mexico City, Auditorio de San Pedro de Monterrey-Mexico at the Festival Santa Cecilia-Parnassós, Salle Molière in Lyon at the Festival “Les Virtuoses du Piano”, Teatro Bibiena de Mantova in Italy, Cecilia Mirelles Concert Hall in Rio de Janeiro the Casa de A. Scriabin’s House in Moscow, Radio France in Paris, Miami Dade County Auditorium, Turkey, Slovenia, Italy, Holland…

In Spain, he has collaborated for the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Sofia, Cycle “Descubre” in the National Auditorium of Madrid with the National Orchestra of Spain, Rafael Orozco Cycle in Cordoba, Juan March Foundation, Olivar del Castillejo Foundation, La Maestranza in Seville, Granada in its different halls including the Manuel de Falla Auditorium, San Fernando Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, Iturbi Hall of the Palau de la Música in Valencia, Auditorium of Castellón, Mozart Hall of the Auditorium of Zaragoza…

His expression and charisma have been frequently displayed with orchestras such as: Slovak National Philharmonic Orchestra in Bratislava, Porto Symphony Orchestra (Portugal), in Italy with the symphony orchestras of San Remo and Grosseto, Bursa State Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), Toruń Symphony (Poland), Johannesburg Symphonic Orchestra in Pretoria (South Africa), in Mexico Eduardo Mata University Youth Orchestra (Mexico City), Brazilian Symphony Orchestra in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). In Spain, with the Malaga Philharmonic (OFM), with the Symphonic Ochestra of Galicia (OSG), the Symphonic Orchestra of Castilla y Leon (OSCyL), with the National Orchestra of Spain (OCNE)…
Showing his ability as a concert artist, he has shared the stage with great directors such as: Rastislav Štúr, Andrés Salado, Roberto Tibiriça, Teresa Riveiro Böhm, Gustavo Rivero Weber, Emin Güven Yasliçam, Andrea Oddone, Gabriel Delgado, Marlene Urbay, Dainius Pavilionis, Beatriz Fernández Aucejo, Jiří Rožeň, Gudni A. Emilsson, Joanna Natalia Slusarczyk, Christian Fitzner, Osvaldo Ferreira, José Trigueros, Andrea Barizza…

Last May 2022, he was invited to the Great Soloists Cycle Pilar Bayona, in the auditorium of Zaragoza. In its XXV edition, artists such as Grigory Sokolov, Alessio Bax, Joaquín Achúcarro among others took part… Leo de María received a 5-star review: “Music as a panacea”.

In 2019, he toured China extensively with a total of 12 concerts on the main stages of the Asian country, starting in the city of Chong Qing and concluding in Beijing, at the Tianquiao Performing Arts Center.

Due to the success obtained, Leo de Maria got artistic representation in China, through the Concert Agency CHONGQING PERFORMANCE CO.Ltd.

He is also an artist of the MUSIESPAÑA agency, an international endorsement factor.

He is invited every year to give master classes at The Hotchkiss School Summer Portals in Connecticut in the USA.

He is usually jury member in International Competitions such as the Santa Cecilia Competition in Porto (Portugal), the Isidor Bajic Piano Memorial Competition in Novi Sad (Serbia), the María Herrero Competition in Granada (Spain), the Spanish Composers Competition in Las Rozas (Spain)…

“Powerful“, “He plays like a great“, “Dominant and Conquering” are some of the superlatives used by different critics around the world to describe him.