Marianna Prjevalskaya wins Jaén Piano Competition

Marianna Prjevalskaya ’10AD has won the first prize at the 53rd Jaén International Piano Competition in Spain. The final round took place May 6, 2011 at the new Infanta Leonor Theatre of Jaén, with the City of Granada Orchestra directed by Stamatia Karampini. The jury, headed by the Spanish concert pianist Begoña Uriarte, included musicians from five different countries. Prjevalskaya performed Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11. The first prize winner receives 20,000 euros, a diploma and gold medal, the recording of a CD with Naxos, and a six-concert tour of Spain and the United States. Prjevalskaya, born in Moldavia in 1982, has been a resident of La Coruña since 1992; she is the thirteenth person from Spain to win the competition.

Tatiana Dorokhova, from Russia, won the second prize, while the third prize was awarded to the Italian Viviana Pia Lasaracina. The three winners received their awards in a ceremony at the new Infanta Leonor Theater. The 53rd edition of this competition boasted 46 pianists from 20 different countries. The contest is considered one of the most prestigious in Spain.

Within only one year, Prjevalskaya won prizes at five international piano competitions, including at the 2007 Paderewski International Piano Competition in Poland, the 2008 Young Artists Piano Competition in Hartford, the 2008 Seoul International Piano Competition, the 2008 Jose Iturbi International Piano Competition in Valencia (where she also got a special Kawai prize for the best classified Spanish contestant), and at the 2008 Ferrol International Piano Competition, where she also received the Gregorio Baudot prize. In November of 2009, Marianna was awarded the First Prize by a unanimous decision of the jury at the Jose Roca International Piano Competition in Valencia, Spain, and in March of 2010 she became a prize winner of Takamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan. In June of 2010 Marianna was the bronze medalist of the 2010 Sendai International Piano Competition in Japan, where she performed the Brahms D minor Piano Concerto in the final. She recently received the first prize and a special prize for the best performance of a Classical composition at the Albacete National Piano Competition in Spain.