Biography
Manuel Alonso-Bartol Sánchez was born in Spain in 1999. Between 2016 and 2021, he was a student at the Reina Sofía School of Music at the piano department of the Banco Santander Foundation with Professor Dmitri Bashkirov. He began his music studies at the Professional Conservatory of Music of Salamanca under the direction of Eva Poncela and graduated professionally in 2017 with an extraordinary distinction. He’s currently studying for a master's degree at the Hochschule für Musik Basel with Prof. Claudio Martínez Mehner.
Manuel attended various courses and master classes with professors Ana Guijarro, András Kemenes and Alexander Kandelaki, José Luis Castillo, Saskya Roures, Patrin García Barredo, Marta Zabaleta, Eldar Nebolsin, Alexander Lonquich, Luis Fernando Pérez and Ralf Gothóni. He is also a scholarship holder of the International Music Academy in Liechtenstein and takes part in the intensive weeks and activities of the academy.
read more
Manuel has received several awards, including the honorable mention at the II International Festival “El Diamante Musical” for young talents. In 2016, he won the 2nd prize at the “XVIII Benidorm Music Contest” and the 1st absolute prize and the special prize for the best interpretation of Chopin's work at the “VII International Small Great Pianists of Sigüenza Contest”. In 2018, he won the “Rafael Orozco Awards” in the youth category, specifically for musicality, and the 1st prize at the “37. Marisa Montiel Piano Competition” of the city of Linares. Among the most recent awards is the 1st prize of the “1. Don Benito City National Piano Competition 2022”.
In 2015, Manuel made his debut as a soloist with the Salamanca Professional Conservatory Orchestra with the Mozart Concerto KV414 conducted by Andrés Balaguer. As a student, he was part of the Freixenet Symphony Orchestra during the Santander Music and Academy Encounter 2019 conducted by Péter Eötvös, the Bizet Duo, the Scarlatti Trio of Casa de la Moneda, the Sonorité Trio, the Arriaga Group of Banco de España, des Mistral Trio and the Areti Duo.