JURY
Tilman Krämer
President of the jury, Professor, concert pianist
Tilman Krämer is considered one of the most interesting pianists of his generation. He has received particular international acclaim for his numerous award-winning recordings of the early piano works of Johannes Brahms, which have been honored with a Supersonic Award and nominated for the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics' Prize). As a soloist and chamber musician, he performs at international festivals and regularly gives concerts in Japan and China; together with Jan Larsen and Jens Thoben, he forms the Trio Raro. Since 2007, he has led a piano class at the Freiburg University of Music and is internationally sought after as a masterclass instructor and jury member, including for the Busoni Competition in Bolzano in 2021.
Krämer studied with Paul Buck in Stuttgart, Konrad Elser in Lübeck, and Leonid Brumberg in Vienna, where he also received significant artistic guidance from Elisabeth Leonskaja. In 1996, he won third prize at the Madrid International Piano Competition and first prize at the Lübeck Possehl Competition. His concert career has led him to collaborate with leading orchestras and participate in prestigious festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Leipzig Bach Festival, and the Schloss Elmau Chamber Music Festival. As a teacher, he has trained numerous pianists who have won prizes in international competitions and maintains an active teaching schedule in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Japan, China, and Mexico, in addition to regularly participating as a guest lecturer in international masterclasses.
Leo de María
Concert performer, teacher, winner of international awards
Leo de María, stage name of Leonel Morales-Herrero (Madrid, 1995), is an acclaimed classical pianist, established as one of the most outstanding and internationally renowned Spanish performers of his generation. Although he began his musical studies relatively late, at the age of 11, his rise in the music world was meteoric thanks to a combination of technical virtuosity and profound expressiveness. He graduated with honors from the Alfonso X el Sabio University under the tutelage of his own father, Maestro Leonel Morales, and later refined his technique abroad, where he earned a Master's degree at the prestigious Mozarteum University of Salzburg with Pavel Gililov and a doctorate from the University of Music and Performing Arts Mannheim, Germany. His talent has led him to win more than 50 international awards, among which stand out the first prizes in the Pretoria Piano Competition (South Africa), the Cidade de Ferrol (Spain), the MozARTè in Germany and the Grand Prix de Lyon in France.
Professionally, he debuted as a soloist with orchestra at the young age of 15 in Turkey and has since performed on the most emblematic stages in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, collaborating with prestigious ensembles such as the Spanish National Orchestra, the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, and the Cape Town Philharmonic. His versatility and interpretive maturity allow him to masterfully tackle both the classical Romantic repertoire and the most demanding compositions of the 20th century, earning unanimous acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Alongside his concert career, Leo de María carries out extensive and influential teaching work. After teaching at high-performance institutions in Madrid, he founded, with his family, the Morales Herrero Elite Piano Academy, a center dedicated to training new musical talents where he serves as director and teacher. His global engagements continue to be managed by the renowned agency Musiespaña.
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JUAN ELVIRA MARQUEZ
Director of the Armilla Festival, concert performer
Juan Elvira Márquez was born in Granada in 1998. He began piano lessons at age six and decided to become a professional pianist at age fourteen. He has performed as a soloist at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, and the Wiener Saal in Salzburg. He has also given numerous solo and chamber music concerts in Spain, Norway, France, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Switzerland.
In the summer of 2021, he was selected to participate in Elisabeth Leonskaja's masterclasses at the HfM Lübeck. He has also received masterclasses from pianists of the caliber of Philipp Raskin, Viktoria Vasilenka, Claudio Martínez Mehner, Romano Pallotini, Iván Martín, Sergei Radkin, Marta Gulyas, Yves Henry, Luis Fernando Pérez, Nino Kereselidze, Mikhail Voskresensky, Stefania Neonato, Joanna Lawrynowicz, and Klaus Hellwig. Among other awards, he has received the following: Special Prize at the Concours International d'Ile de France, 2nd Prize at the Rising Stars Grand Prix in Berlin, Golden Hands Prize and Best Schumann Performance at the Charles and Sophia International Piano Competition, and 2nd Prize at the Aachen Mozart International Piano Competition.
He is currently studying at the Konzertexamen with A. Madzar at the HfMT in Hamburg and teaches at the Shostakovich School of Music in Berlin. He is the artistic director and artist-in-residence of the Armilla International Festival of Classical Music Performers, now in its third edition.
MONI HERREROS
Pianist, educator
Pianist, teacher and new general director of the Piano Youth Experience.
Born into a family of musicians, she received training from her parents, pianists and renowned educators in Andalusia.
After many years teaching piano at various centers and institutions, Moni now runs her own school. She has numerous students of all ages and specializes in introductory piano classes as well as preparation for conservatory entrance exams.
JAVIER HERREROS
Professor, pianist
According to critics, he is one of the most outstanding Spanish pianists of his generation. Trained at the Higher Conservatories of Granada and Madrid, he is a distinguished student of Josefina Bustamante, Joaquín Soriano, and Ricardo Requejo.
He received a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture to pursue advanced studies in Granada (Manuel de Falla International Courses), Santander (Menéndez Pelayo University), and Thonon-les-Bains (France, Musical Reencounters), where he received guidance from Rosa Sabater, Malcolm Frager, and Louis Hiltbrand. Among his awards is the Manuel de Falla First Prize for piano performance from the University of Granada.
LIDIA HARO
Pianist, educator
A native of Pulpí (Almería), he began his musical journey at the Narciso Yepes Professional Music Conservatory in Lorca, and continued at the Victoria Eugenia Royal Higher Conservatory of Music in Granada under the direction of Professor Juan José Pérez Torrecillas, graduating with top marks. He furthered his musical training at the Royal Conservatoire de Musique in Brussels (Belgium) under the tutelage of Patricia Montero, a student of the renowned pedagogue Eduardo del Pueyo, and receiving guidance in chamber music from maestros J. Démériz and Elianne Reyes, among others. Throughout his studies, he attended various performance courses, such as the "Stage de Musique" at the Royal Conservatory of Music (Brussels), as well as advanced piano courses with prominent musicians including Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Sebastian Risler, Daniel Blumenthal, and Guillermo González. Always interested in chamber music,
She has been a member of several active musical groups, such as the Deneb Trio, the Haro-Valero Piano Duo, Harmonie XXI, and the Dayra Duo. She has given recitals as a soloist and accompanist in Brussels, Toledo, Segovia, Oviedo, Vitoria, Granada, Alicante, Badajoz, Murcia, Almería, and other cities, emphasizing innovation and the fusion of different artistic expressions (music, painting, literature, dance) in her performances, as well as her desire and passion for bringing classical music closer to the public and society at large. She currently teaches at the Narciso Yepes Professional Music Conservatory (Lorca, Murcia).
JUAN ELVIRA MARQUEZ
Director of the Armilla Festival, concert performer
Juan Elvira Márquez was born in Granada in 1998. He began piano lessons at age six and decided to become a professional pianist at age fourteen. He has performed as a soloist at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, and the Wiener Saal in Salzburg. He has also given numerous solo and chamber music concerts in Spain, Norway, France, Germany, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Switzerland.
In the summer of 2021, he was selected to participate in Elisabeth Leonskaja's masterclasses at the HfM Lübeck. He has also received masterclasses from pianists of the caliber of Philipp Raskin, Viktoria Vasilenka, Claudio Martínez Mehner, Romano Pallotini, Iván Martín, Sergei Radkin, Marta Gulyas, Yves Henry, Luis Fernando Pérez, Nino Kereselidze, Mikhail Voskresensky, Stefania Neonato, Joanna Lawrynowicz, and Klaus Hellwig. Among other awards, he has received the following: Special Prize at the Concours International d'Ile de France, 2nd Prize at the Rising Stars Grand Prix in Berlin, Golden Hands Prize and Best Schumann Performance at the Charles and Sophia International Piano Competition, and 2nd Prize at the Aachen Mozart International Piano Competition.
He is currently studying at the Konzertexamen with A. Madzar at the HfMT in Hamburg and teaches at the Shostakovich School of Music in Berlin. He is the artistic director and artist-in-residence of the Armilla International Festival of Classical Music Performers, now in its third edition.
ANDREY REZNIK
Professor, Interpreter
Born in Ukraine to German parents, he graduated as a concert pianist from the P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow (one of the world's most prestigious music universities). He is heir to the piano school of the legendary masters Neuhaus and Flier, having studied with renowned musicians such as V. Krainev, L. Vlasenko, and S. Alumian. Over time, he has mentored his own students, many of whom now excel in international competitions.
His symphonic works have been and are performed by renowned institutions such as: the Russian National Orchestra (under the baton of Maestro Mikhail Pletnev), the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra of Moscow, the "Colon" Theatre Orchestra of Buenos Aires (Argentina), the Kharkiv Symphony Orchestra (Ukraine), among others.
He is frequently invited to give masterclasses in both Spain and Russia and has an extensive discography, including his own works released in Russia and screened in Spain. He has made several recordings of classical music.
