Biography
Maria Canyigueral has been described by La Vanguardia as 'a pianist of great personality'.
One of the leading lights among the new generation of Spanish pianists, Maria Canyigueral has inspired collaborations with outstanding contemporary Spanish composers such as Antón García Abril, Benet Casablancas, Joan Magrané, Josep Maria Guix and others. Her partnership with Antón García Abril has been particularly successful, attracting high praise from critics and audiences both in Spain and the UK. Antón García Abril has written 'Reverberaciones' for Maria's 'Avant-guarding Mompou' project and 'Hoy es siempre todavía' for her Horn trio. Having spent her formative years between Spain and the UK, she has since attracted a devoted following of her worldwide concert itineraries.
Having completed her undergraduate studies at the Conservatori del Liceu in Barcelona with Michel Wagemans, she later attained a Master of Arts in Performance from the Royal Academy of Music in London, studying with Sulamita Aronovsky. She has also received musical advice from Nino Kereselidze and André de Groote. Maria Canyigueral’s name soon became a fixture of the international piano circuit, embracing Spain, the UK, Japan (Tokyo, Nagoya), Belgium and other countries. Recent solo highlights include a performance as part of the composition seminar by Benet Casablancas at the Royal Academy of Music, London; appearances at the Festival Portaferrada, Schubertíada Vilabertran and Festival de Música de Cervia, all in Girona; piano recital at Ateneu Barcelones, Barcelona; several recitals in Zulte, Belgium; and a performance at the Echoes Festival, St. James Picadilly, London.
In addition to her live performances, Maria has made an impact with her recordings of chamber music. She won the Gold Medal at the Global Music Awards in California for her album of works by C. Franck, Granados, Škerjanc and Finzi, recorded with violinist Lana Trotovšek (Hedone Records, 2016). A recording with flautist Boris Bizjak, of works by Martinu, Poulenc, Fauré and Böhm, was also released by Hedone Records in 2016.
A prizewinner in several International Competitions, including the Ile de France International Piano Competition (Paris); the Pirani Piano Trio Prize with Ianthe Ensemble (London) and International Chamber Music Competition Antón García Abril (Granada), Maria has lately been working with internationally known composers on her own project ‘Avant-Guarding Mompou’. This was premiered at Conway Hall, London in June 2018 and featured contributions from Nicolas Bacri, Antón García Abril, Joseph Phibbs, Konstantia Gourzi, and Moritz Eggert. The project was a coproduction with Instituto Cervantes, Arts Council England, Institut Ramon Llull, Fundació Mompou and fashion label Lilly e Violetta. Soon to be released on CD on the Audite label.
Having now been a touring artist for many years, Maria Canyigueral had international performances including a solo piano recital at the Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona in 2019. A return appearance in Duo with Lana Trotovšek followed in London’s Wigmore Hall in the Summer of 2019, featuring sonatas by Beethoven, Prokofiev and a work by Slovenian composer Lucian M. Škerjanc. Both artists returned as a Duo to Wigmore Hall in February 2021.
Further highlights include a performance in trio with cellist Sebastien Hurtaud and violinist Lana Trotovšek at the Blackheath International Chamber Music Festival.