Jorge Tabarés
Spain
Spanish composer and pianist born on the 26th of May of 1996. He begins his pianistic training at the age of three, with professor Jesús García. At age thirteen he continues his studies with Spanish pianist Cristina Casale, and with French pianist Emmanuel Ferrer-Laloë. In May 2018, Jorge completes his Bachelor of Music, graduating with honors with a double-major in composition and piano, and with a merit scholarship from Mannes School of Music – The New School, in New York City, having studied with composer Lowell Liebermann, and pianist Irina Morozova.
In April 2018, Jorge was awarded the Excellence Scholarship of the “Fundación Rafael del Pino,” to pursue his double-master in Mannes School of Music, New York, with Liebermann and Morozova. He was also awarded a “President Scholarship” from Mannes for his double-master in composition and piano. In 2020 he graduates from his double master having been granted the Steinway Award, which is given to pianists that demonstrate artistic excellence.
In 2022 he is awarded a scholarship to pursue a double doctorate in composition and piano at Rutgers University, New Jersey, with pianist Min Kwon and composer Robert Aldridge. During this time, Jorge studies conducting with David Gilbert, who was the former assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic and the principal conductor of the American Ballet Theatre.
Since 2022, Jorge is a member of the AMCC (Madrid’s Composers Association), and his pieces have been programmed in the last three editions of the COMA International Contemporary Music Festival, highlighting this last edition of 2025, in which the SONOR Ensemble performed his Divertimento for Piano Quintet at the National Music Auditorium in Madrid.
It’s also since 2022 that Jorge became the composer in residence for the 2022-2023 season of the Accord Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Juan Gallastegui in Washington D.C. This orchestra has premiered and programmed several works by Jorge Tabarés in different halls of Washinton D.C.
Jorge has been awarded the Commissioning Competition Prize 2024, organized by the Composers Guild of New Jersey and the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra. The price consisted on the commissioning of his Divertimento for Piano Quintet, which was premiered and programmed in 6 different concert venues of the Fall Salon Series 2024, performed by members of the NBCO string quartet, and by the composer at the piano.
Jorge has also received top prizes in international composition competitions such as: 1st Prize at the Aglaia Music Awards, Madrid, for his 5 Preludes for Piano, 2nd Prize at the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Emerging Composers Competition, New York, for his orchestral work Scherzo Artificioso, 2nd Prize at the 2nd International Music Competition – Academia Musica, Vienna, for his String Trio, a honorable mention at the 2nd Brusa Foundation Award, England, for his Scherzo Artificioso, and two Merit Awards (2021 & 2022) at the Tribeca New Music Young Composer Competition in New York, for his 5 Preludes for Piano and Two Hispanic Dances for Violin and Piano. Moreover, Jorge has been a finalist at the 2nd International Eduardas Balsys Young Composers Competition, in Lithuania, with his piece Logré morir con los ojos abiertos for a cappella SATB choir and 5 soloists. The piece was performed by the Riga Chamber Choir “Ave Sol” and conducted by Andris Veismanis on the Final Round of the competition, on November 20th, 2021.
In June 2020, Jorge Tabarés releases his debut album with the recording label KNS Classical. The CD is titled “Tribute to Alicia”, in homage to the great Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha, and it includes some of her own compositions from her collection “Sins of Youth.” In 2021 the CD received 4 awards at the Music and Stars Awards, which included Best Piano Solo CD, Best CD Concept, Best Sound Editing, Best Cover.
His compositions and performances have been broadcasted on WQXR in New York, on the BBC Radio 3 in London, on National Spanish Radio, RNE – Radio Nacional de España, on CatMúsica in Cataluña Radio, on National Cuban Radio, CMBF – Radio Musical Nacional de Cuba, and on LRT Lithuanian National Television and Radio.
Jorge Tabarés has been selected in several occasions by the music critic Robert Sherman to be broadcasted on WQXR in New York, for “The McGraw Hill Financial Young Artist Showcase” in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022. In April of 2022, Robert Sherman dedicated an entire radio program in WQXR to Jorge’s own compositions and performances, including the radio premiere of his Sonata for Viola and Piano.
In spring 2018, Jorge was selected as invited artist to be broadcasted in WQXR where he performed an entire program of Spanish music in homage to the great pianist Alicia de Larrocha. The program included works by Alicia de Larrocha herself, which were also radio premieres in the United States. This homage was curated by Alicia Torra de Larrocha, (De Larrocha’s daughter), and Robert Sherman, and the project was the genesis of his subsequent album debut.
As a composer, stands out the premieres of: his Piano Trio at the First Reformed Church, New Jersey, 2025, his Divertimento for Piano Quintet in different New Jersey venues, 2024, his Dolente for string orchestra, performed by the Orquestra de Cambra Catalana and conductor Joan Pàmies at the COMA’23 Festival, in the Palacio de Cibeles, Madrid, his Fantasy for Flute and Piano which he performed himself on National Spanish Radio in 2023, his Danza for Piano Trio, which he performed with his chamber group, the Pangea Ensemble, at the 42nd edition of Festival Internacional de Música de Cámara de Montserrat, in Spain. Also stands out his latest soundtrack composed for the Spanish documentary “La Convención” which was commissioned by the State Government of Valencia (Generalitat Valenciana). The documentary premiered at the “Palau de la Generalitat” on December of 2022 in Valencia, Spain. Also stands out the performance at Le Poisson Rouge, NY, by the “Helix!” ensemble of Jorge’s work Two Hispanic Dances which were conducted by Kynan Johns in November 2022. In addition, the Two Hispanic Dances (in their orchestral version) have been recently performed in Washington DC on two occasions in 2021 and 2022 by the Accord Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Juan Gallastegui. Moreover, Jorge’s Prelude No.5 was performed in September 2022 in Vienna, at the Palais Pálffy by the Japanese pianist Masumi Hio, at a concert organized by the Austrian mezzosoprano Angelika Kirchschlager. Also stands out the premiere in 2018, of his Sonata for two Pianos and Percussion at the Percufest Festival, Valencia, Spain, by the pianists Josu de Solaun Soto and Anna Petrova, and the percussionists of the Tenerife and Valencia Philharmonic Orchestras, Paco Diaz and Josep Furió. This work was commissioned by Josu de Solaun. Also stands out the premiere of his Prelude No.4, from his collection 5 Preludes for Piano, performed by himself at the Mozart Hall of the Auditorio de Zaragoza in 2019. In 2018, Jorge Tabarés wrote his Trio for Strings for the “European Literature Night” which was premiered at the Bohemian National Hall, NYC. Such event was a collaboration between the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations and Mannes School of Music. Also stands out the premiere of his Hispanic Dances for Violin and Piano, in December 2020, at the Eutherpe Foundation in León, Spain. He dedicated the work to this same Foundation. In addition to this, the Hispanic Dances were recently broadcasted on National Spanish Radio, RNE – Radio Clásica. In addition, his 5 Preludes for Piano have been recently transcribed to braile by Kathleen Cantrel.
As a soloist, stands out his debut in the Palau de la Música Catalana, as part of the El Primer Palau concert series, and his debut in the Auditorio de León, as part of the XVII Maestros Internacionales concert series. In both cases, he performed his own compositions among other works. As an orchestral soloist, stands out his performance with the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra and conductor Nathan Sawyer at the Nicholas Music Center, New Jersey, the Vienna International Orchestra and conductor Robert Lehrbaumer at the Gemeindezentrum Halbturn, Austria, as well as the Philharmonic Orchestra of the University of Valencia and conductor Beatriz Fernández at the Iturbi Hall of the Palau de la Música de Valencia, the Mozart Hall of the Auditorio de Zaragoza, and the Teatro Serrano de Gandía. In addition, he has performed in numerous cities across Spain, and in an international level in France, Italy, Portugal, England, Germany, Austria, Canada and the United States.
Stands out his participation as composer and pianist in the Iturbi Festival 2020, for which he did a 10-piano arrangement of 6 orchestral works by Bernstein, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Falla. He performed these arrangements together with 9 other pianists at the inaugural concert of the Festival. Also stands out his solo recital in the inaugural concert of the 37th edition of the Sagunt a Escena Festival, (Valencia, Spain) in which apart from offering a solo piano program, he also composed and premiered his Song Cycle on Poems by Rubén Darío for the occasion. In addition, he has participated as an invited solo artist to perform in numerous other Festivals, such as the 33rd edition of the Serenates Festival, Spain, Porto PianoFest, Portugal, or the 20th edition of the Festival de Música Sant Pere de Rodes, Spain.
As a composer, he has received classes and advice from Melinda Wagner, Chen Yi, George Tsontakis, David Ludwig, Christopher Dobrian, Reiko Fueting, Amy Beth Kirsten, Donald Crockett, David Tcimpidis, Perry Goldstein, Narcis Bonet, Philip Lasser and Michel Merlet. As a pianist he has received classes and advice from Elena Dyátlova, Anya Alexeyev, Marnie Van Weelden, John Salmon, Margarita Höhenrieder, Dominique Weber, Claudio Martínez-Mehner, José Ramón Méndez, James Giles, Julian Martin, Ilya Itín, Jue Wang, Josu de Solaun, Miguel Ituarte, André-Michel Schub, Oleg Marshev, Joaquín Soriano, Uta Weyand, Justas Dvarionas, Jay Gottlieb, Jun Kanno, Erik T. Tawaststjerna, Friedemann Rieger, Susan Starr, Mikhail Voskresensky, Eric Zuber and Antonio Pompa-Baldi.
As a pianist he has received top prizes in competitions such as the Metropolitan International Piano Competition, New York, Rondo Forma Competition, New York, Cremona International Competition for Piano, Italy, where he was also awarded the Special Prize to the best sonata, XVII International Piano Competition Santa Cecilia, Portugal, where he was also awarded the Special Prize from KNS Classical to record and publish several CDs, Concurso Ibérico de Piano do Alto Minho, Portugal, and the International Piano Competition Le Mesnil des Arts, France. He was also awarded the EAMA/Florence Gould Foundation Michael Iovenko Award to participate in the EAMA International Music Festival, in Paris, France, 2018.