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A First Prize, and a Proposal, in Barcelona

Competitions

Jonathan Mamora wins the Maria Canals with a spectacular Rachmaninov III- and proposes on stage

Pianist Jonathan Mamora, 27, has been proclaimed the winner of the 68th edition of the Maria Canals International Music Competition, by an international jury made up of Yukiko Akagi, Vincenzo Balzani, Hung-Kuan Chen, Nina Kereselidze, Pavel Nersessian, Ewa Osinska, Vestard Šimkus and Alba Ventura. All of them, under the presidency in the jury of Carlos Cebro.

The winner has obtained the first prize, Fundación Jesús Serra Prize, with an amount of €25,000 and a minimum of 5 concerts with an orchestra in Spain, and has surpassed Valentin Malinin, 21, and Roman Lopatynskyi, 29, who have won the second and third prize respectively. The second prize is provided by the Fundació Carulla and is valued at €10,000 and the third, the Maria Canals prize, is valued at €6,000.

The Grand Final took place in the Concert Hall of Barcelona's Palau de la Música Catalana and was held with the support of the Banco Sabadell Foundation. The 3 finalists have been accompanied during their performance by the JONC (Youth National Orchestra of Catalonia), directed by Manel Valdivieso. The winner, Jonathan Mamora, has interpreted the Concerto for piano and orchestra no. 3 in D minor, op. 30 by Sergei Rachmaninov. Following the announcement of the winners, he went straight ahead with a different kind of engagement, and proposed to his girlfriend on stage, in front of the audience of the Palau de la Musica Catalana.
 

 

 

the Prize Winners of the 2023 Maria Canals

Valentin Malinin, 2nd Prize

Roman Lopatynskyi, 3rd Prize

Jonathan Mamora, after proposing to his girlfriend on stage.

Prizes:
First Prize: Jonathan Mamora (27)
Second Prize: Valentin Malinin (21)
Third Prize: Roman Lopatynskyi (29)


Jury:
Carlos Cebro (Chair), Yukiko Akagi, Vincenzo Balzani, Hung-Kuan Chen, Nina Kereselidze, Pavel Nersessian, Ewa Osinska, Vestard Šimkus, Alba Ventura


Artists:
 Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya, Manel Valdivieso (Conductor)

The Audience Award, offered by Solfa Recordings, has also been awarded, which consists of the recording and editing of 25 hours of music performed by the pianist, and has been for Valentin Malinin.

The winners of the contest will distribute more than €70,000 between main prizes, special prizes and paid concerts in Catalonia, Spain and abroad, among which concerts in the stable seasons of orchestras such as the Madrid Symphony, Seville Symphony, Bilbao Symphony, Tenerife Symphony, among others.

A native of Southern California, Jonathan Mamora has served as a church pianist and organist—the result of having been enrolled in piano lessons by his parents for the purpose of becoming a church musician. Jonathan aims to use music as service not only in the church, but also in the community through homes, schools, community centers, and the concert hall.
 
Acclaimed for his “most assured pianism,” “natural, songful lyricism,” and “rippl[ing] through virtuosic passagework” (The Dallas Morning News), Jonathan has performed throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, and he is a prize-winner of several regional and international competitions, most recently winning first prize in the Dallas International Piano Competition, Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, “Sviatoslav Richter” International Piano Competition, and Eastman Piano Concerto Competition.

©WFIMC 2023