Jonathan Mamora wins Maria Canals International Music Competition
Florence Lockheart
Friday, March 31, 2023
The pianist impressed the jury during the competition final round at Barcelona's Palau de la Música Catalana
Indonesian-American pianist Jonathan Mamora has been revealed as the winner of the Maria Canals International Music Competition top prize, the €25,000 Jesús Serra Foundation Prize. Mamora received his prize at last night’s awards ceremony at the Saló de Cent of Barcelona's City Council.
As well as receiving a cash prize, Mamora will also receive career-building opportunities including several recitals as well as a minimum of 5 concerts – in collaboration with a Spanish orchestra - in venues in Spain and across the globe. The competition second prize of €10,000 went to Russian pianist Valentin Malinin, who also won the audience award, while Ukrainian competitor Roman Lopatynskyi won the €6,000 third prize.
The competition grand final took place in the Concert Hall of Barcelona's Palau de la Música Catalana where the three finalists performed for a nine-strong judging panel accompanied by the Youth National Orchestra of Catalonia, directed by Manel Valdivieso. The competition was also broadcast live on the competition's YouTube channel, on Idagio and on the Catalunya Música radio station.
Mamora, 27, impressed a judging panel headed up by jury president, Uruguayan pianist Carlos Cebro. The jury, made up entirely of pianists, also included Yukiko Akagi from Japan; Vincenzo Balzani from Italy; Hung-Kuan Chen from Taiwan; Nina Kereselidze from Georgia; Ewa Osinska from Poland and Vestard Šimkus from Latvia as well as Barcelonan native Alba Ventura and Russian-American pianist Pavel Nersessian.
A Southern California native, Mamora was enrolled in piano lessons by his parents with the aim of becoming a church pianist and organist. He has performed throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, with recent accolades including first prize in the Dallas, Virginia Waring and ‘Sviatoslav Richter’ International Piano Competitions as well as the Eastman Piano Concerto Competition.
As well as currently serving as instructor for music theory and aural musicianship at the Eastman School of Music where he is also a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance and Literature, Mamora is the music director and organist of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Clifton Springs, NY. Mamora will make his Carnegie Hall debut in the upcoming 2022-23 season.
