11-year-old Mexican pianist conquers international music competition

Abril Alvarado Balsa, an 11-year-old student from the Children Section of the National Music Conservatory (CNM) of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL), won the first place of the Music Competition Online in category three, which corresponds to competitors won in 2008.

The Mexican girl that studies piano with Cristóbal Juárez participated in category three of the competition organized by Opus Artists, based in France, and won this important international contest by performing Enrique Granados’s “Spanish Dance No. 2 Oriental” and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Venetianisches Gondollied, Op. 30, No. 6.”

In a statement, the INBAL announced that this award is part of the Ricardo Castro Lectureship, a piano refinement course taught at the CNM to outstanding piano students from different Mexican states.

The Opus Artists organization, based in Paris, France, organized the Music Competition Online through a call for international musicians to compete in different categories and instruments. The jury that analyzed the academic education of the participants also took into account their natural talent and stage presence.

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The competitors interpreted pieces from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods by heart, except for the modern and contemporary pieces for which they were allowed to read music sheets. The results were announced on September 10.

For children like Abril Alvarado, this competition represents an important opportunity to show their talent, increase their passion for their instruments, strengthen their self and potential as soloists, and gives them a platform to begin building their professional careers.

The members of the jury included Bertrand Giraud from France, Linshu Li from China, Martín Kutnowski from Argentina; Gabriele Natilla from Italy, Marie Giang Ngo from Vietnam, and Yuri Serov from Russia.

The Music Competition Online is a significant platform for music students of all ages and levels. Its objectives include discovering artists with exceptional personalities to promote them and help them develop an international career. This online competition offers young musicians the chance to participate in equal circumstances regardless of their country of origin.

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