XV Jose Iturbi International Piano Competition took place in Valencia, from September 14 to the 30th, 2006. The competition is held every two years and is a member of the Geneva World Federation of International Music Competitions. Pianist Josu De Solaun Soto was given the First Grand Prize, becoming the first Spanish pianist to be awarded such distinction in the 25 years of the competition's existence. The prize included over $25,000, recital and orchestral engagements and a recording contract.
Jury
Joaquín Soriano (president) Sulamita Aronovsky Sergei Dorensky Miguel Ángel Herranz Jaime Ingram Mi Kyung Kim Natalie Michailidou Fernando Puchol Leslie Wright (substituting Jean-Bernard Pommier) Oxana Yablonskaya
Prizes First Grand Prize Josu de Solaun Second Prize Valentina Igoshina Third Prize Andrei Yaroshinsky Fourth Prize Patrick Hemmerle Sofya Melikyan Fifth Prize Natalya Kuchaeva Sixth Prize Void Best Valencian pianist Josu de Solaun Best Spanish pianist Josu de Solaun Best interpreter of Spanish music Patrick Hemmerle Sofya Melikyan Best interpreter of Spanish contemporary music Miguel Ángel Castro Philipp Kopachevsky Best interpreter of a Beethoven concerto Patrick Hemmerle Best interpreter of a Chopin piece Patrick Hemmerle
Compositions commissioned for the competition Joan Cerveró - Verdi Carlos Fontcuberta - Après tout [ Performance by Miguel Á. Castro ] Voro García Fernández - Etoiles filantes
Competition Results (by Rounds)
First round Yukiko Akagi Orlando Alonso Cathal Breslin Catalina Butcaru Claudio Carbó Miguel Ángel Castro Josu de Solaun Dora Deliyska Geraldine Dutroncy Anna Fedorova Sonja Fräki Nikolai Gangnus Irina Georgieva Patrick Hemmerle Dagmar Hofman Hong Kook-hee Hyung Sue-woon Valentina Igoshina Kyoko Kashii Marianna Katerelou Kim Ji-youn Philipp Kopachevsky Natalya Kuchaeva Fuyuka Kusa Lee Yoo-soon Lin Weichi Maria McGarry Sofya Melikyan Katia Michel Salvatore Monzo Yukako Morikawa Eleonora Morozova Inocencio Negrín Theodosia Ntokou Vincenzo Oliva Antonio Ortiz Natalya Osenchakova Stefania Passamonte Ekaterina Popova Cameron Roberts Pavel Shatskiy Anna Solivieva-Drubich Inesa Sinkevych Shun Tominaga Wu Xiaofeng Andrei Yaroshinsky Yoon Eun-kyung Bojana Zdravković Denis Zhdanov
Second round Yukiko Akagi Cathal Breslin Claudio Carbó Miguel Ángel Castro Josu de Solaun Anna Fedorova Nikolai Gangnus Patrick Hemmerle Valentina Igoshina Philipp Kopachevsky Natalya Kuchaeva Fuyuka Kusa Lin Weichi Sofya Melikyan Yukako Morikawa Inocencio Negrín Vincenzo Oliva Antonio Ortiz Cameron Roberts Pavel Shatskiy Wu Xiaofeng Andrei Yaroshinsky Bojana Zdravković Denis Zhdanov
Third round Yukiko Akagi Claudio Carbó Miguel Ángel Castro Josu de Solaun Patrick Hemmerle Valentina Igoshina Philipp Kopachevsky Natalia Kuchaeva Sofya Melikyan Yukiko Morikawa Antonio Ortiz Andrei Yaroshinsky
Semifinals Josu de Solaun (Beethoven's 3rd) Patrick Hemmerle (Beethoven's 1st) Valentina Igoshina (Beethoven's 4th) Natalya Kuchaeva (Beethoven's 5th) Sofya Melikyan (Beethoven's 3rd) Andrei Yaroshinsky (Beethoven's 3rd)Accompaniment: Valencia Orchestra. Yaron Traub, conductor.
Final Josu de Solaun (Rachmaninov's 2nd) Valentina Igoshina (Tchaikovsky's 1st) Andrey Yaroshinsky (Rachmaninov's Rhapsody)Accompaniment: Valencia Orchestra. Yaron Traub, conductor.
External links History of the Competition, since 1981; PREVIOUS WINNERS Interview with Josu De Solaun Soto Directory of International Piano Competitions