BIOGRAPHY

A unique blend of technical mastery, deep sensitivity, and passionate expression has established Leo de María as one of the most outstanding pianists of his generation. 

Born in Madrid in 1995, he began his musical training at the age of eleven. He studied at the Faculty of Music and Performing Arts of the Alfonso X el Sabio University in Madrid under the guidance of Maestro Leonel Morales, later completing his Master’s degree with Maestro Pavel Gililov at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. He is currently pursuing his doctoral studies in piano performance at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim (Germany) under Maestro Rudolf Meister (Konzertexamen). 

Leo de María has been awarded more than 50 international prizes. Among his most notable achievements are First Prizes at the UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria (South Africa, FMCIM), Ciudad de Ferrol International Piano Competition (Spain), MozARTè Competition (Germany), Grand Prix de Lyon (France), and the National Award Cultura Viva for Artistic Revelation 2018 (Spain). 

He has also received Second Prizes at the Johann Nepomuk Hummel International Competition in Bratislava (FMCIM), the Santa Cecilia International Competition in Porto (Portugal, FMCIM), Épinal International Competition (France, FMCIM), Russian Music Competition (Italy), Neue Sterne Competition (Germany), Valsesia Musica Competition in Milan, and the Rio de Janeiro Piano Festival and Competition (Brazil). 

Furthermore, he obtained Third Prizes at the Scriabin International Piano Competition in Grosseto (twice, in 2014 and 2016), along with the Special Audience Award in 2016, and at the Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competition in Seregno (Italy, FMCIM). In Spain, he received the Third Prize at the Frechilla-Zuloaga Competition in Valladolid, as well as the Rosa Sabater Special Prize for the best performance of Spanish music at the International Piano Competition of Jaén. 

At the age of fifteen, he performed his first concert with orchestra —Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1— with the Çukurova State Symphony Orchestra in Adana (Turkey). 

Since then, his concert career has taken him across the globe, performing in prestigious venues such as the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, Villa Musica at Engers Castle, and the Imperial Palace of Goslar (Germany); the Wiener Saal and Solitär Concert Hall in Salzburg (Austria); Casa da Música in Porto (Portugal); the Reduta Hall in Bratislava and the Piešťany Music Festival (Slovakia). 

In China, he has appeared at the Guotai Arts Center (Chongqing), Daning Theater and Shanghai Opera House, Cangjiang Theater and International Conference Center Concert Hall (Xiamen), Fuzhou Grand Theater (Fuzhou), as well as the Elfers Concert Hall (Connecticut) and Severance Music Center (Cleveland, USA), CKK Jordanki Auditorium (Toruń, Poland), Sala Nezahualcóyotl (Mexico City), San Pedro Auditorium (Monterrey, Festival Santa Cecilia-Parnassós, Mexico), Linder Auditorium (Johannesburg), Cape Town City Hall (South Africa), Salle Molière (Lyon, France), Teatro Bibiena (Mantua, Italy), Sala Cecilia Meireles (Rio de Janeiro), the Scriabin House Museum (Moscow), Radio France (Paris), and Dade County Auditorium (Miami), among others in Turkey, Slovenia, Italy, the Netherlands, and Japan. 

In Spain, he has collaborated with the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Emerita Doña Sofía; performed in the “Discover” Cycle with the Spanish National Orchestra at the National Auditorium of Madrid; and appeared in the Rafael Orozco Piano Series (Córdoba), the Juan March Foundation, the Olivar del Castillejo Foundation, La Maestranza Auditorium (Seville), Manuel de Falla Auditorium (Granada), the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando (Madrid), Sala Iturbi at the Palau de la Música (Valencia), Castellón Auditorium, Sala Mozart at the Zaragoza Auditorium, Edgar Neville Auditorium, and Sala Fundación Unicaja María Cristina (Málaga), among others. 

He has performed with orchestras such as the Slovak National Philharmonic Orchestra (Bratislava), Porto Symphony Orchestra (Portugal), Lamont Philharmonic Orchestra (Denver, USA), the San Remo and Grosseto Symphony Orchestras (Italy), Bursa State Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), Toruń Symphony Orchestra (Poland), Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra, Cape Town Philharmonic, and Free State Symphony Orchestra (South Africa), the Eduardo Mata Youth University Orchestra (Mexico City), and the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra (Rio de Janeiro). In Spain, he has collaborated with the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra (OFM), the Galicia Symphony Orchestra (OSG), the Castile and León Symphony Orchestra (OSCyL), and the Spanish National Orchestra (ONE). 

He has shared the stage with distinguished conductors such as Rastislav Štúr, Andrés Salado, Roberto Tibiriça, Teresa Riveiro Böhm, Gustavo Rivero Weber, Emin Güven Yaslıçam, Andrea Oddone, Gabriel Delgado, Marlene Urbay, Dainius Pavilionis, Beatriz Fernández Aucejo, Jiří Rožeň, Gudni A. Emilsson, Joanna Natalia Słusarczyk, Christian Fitzner, Osvaldo Ferreira, José Trigueros, Andrea Barizza, Daniel Boico, Mark Kadin, Cristóbal Soler, and Giovanni Ferrauto, among others. 

He was invited to the “Grand Soloists – Pilar Bayona Series” at the Zaragoza Auditorium, where, during its XXV edition —alongside artists such as Grigory Sokolov, Alessio Bax, and Joaquín Achúcarro— he received a five-star review titled “Music as Panacea”. Following his success, he returned for the XXVIII edition, coinciding with Martha Argerich, Bruce Liu, and Nelson Goerner, once again earning a five-star review: “A Gust of Expressive Fire.” 

He has undertaken extensive tours in China, including a recent tour of twelve concerts across major cities, beginning in Chongqing and concluding in Beijing at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center. 

As an educator, he taught for over five years at the Alfonso X el Sabio University in Madrid. Later, he founded the Morales Herrero Elite Piano Academy, where he now devotes himself fully as piano professor and director. 

He is invited annually to teach masterclasses at The Hotchkiss School “Summer Portals” (Connecticut, USA) and at the Sommerakademie of the Mozarteum University in Salzburg (Austria). He also participates in the Leonel Morales & Friends International Music Festival and Masterclasses, where he serves as Director of Operations and Logistics. 

He is the Artistic Director and CEO of the Youth Piano Experience: Masterclass for Children and Teenagers, held every July in the city of Granada (Spain). 

He is also frequently invited to serve as a jury member in international competitions such as the Santa Cecilia Piano Competition (Porto, Portugal), Isidor Bajić Piano Memorial (Novi Sad, Serbia), María Herrero Piano Competition (Granada, Spain), and the Spanish Composers Competition (Las Rozas, Spain). 

Leo de María is represented by the international artist management agency MUSIESPAÑA. 

“Powerful,” “Plays like a master,” and “Dominant and conquering” are just a few of the superlatives used by critics worldwide to describe his artistry.