An Evening with Jose Maria Ingles

Join us for a special performance with award-winning pianist, José María Inglés! Flying in from Spain, José will also be performing as soloist for the opening weekend of the Ocala Symphony’s 50th Season on Saturday, October 18 and Sunday, October 19!

José María Inglés is a Spanish pianist, born in Zaragoza, into a family of non-musicians. He began as a self-taught musician, learning music by ear, interpreting works by Beethoven, small symphonies by Mozart and famous opera themes. Later, he was accepted in the Music School of his hometown.

At the age of 9, José María gave his first concert at the Principal Theater of Zaragoza. He then entered the Professional Conservatory of Music of Zaragoza in the class of the renowned Spanish pianist Rubén Lorenzo. During these years, José María was very active in the musical scene of the city. At the age of 15, he made his debut at the Auditorium of Zaragoza with a concert in the Luis Galve Hall, performing works by Bach, Beethoven, Liszt, and Granados. Critics praised the young pianist, stating, “…with the Campanella by Franz Liszt, José María demonstrated that, with the necessary education and maturity, he had all the makings to become a great pianist”. José María finished his studies in Zaragoza with honors and was first in the Extraordinary Awards of Aragón in Spain.

At the age of 17, José María Inglés received the National Music Award of Spain for professional artistic education and was invited to play in the chamber music hall of the National Auditorium in Madrid. That same year, he entered the Young Talents class at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig, Germany. In 2016, at the age of 18, Inglés decided to pause his performance in concerts for a period of 6 years. During this time of self-reflection on his artistic vision, he completed his degree in Piano and expanded his repertoire of chamber music, receiving advice from pianist Boris Kusnezov, a renowned Russian-German collaborative artist. In 2023, José María was accepted into the class of the prestigious American pianist Daniel Blumenthal to study at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. In December 2024, he returned to Zaragoza with a recital at the Auditorium, which made him the winner of the prestigious Spanish scholarship Pilar Bayona 2025. José María Inglés currently lives in Leipzig, Germany, where he works as a piano teacher. He is also continuing his Master’s studies with Daniel Blumenthal in Brussels, and is being mentored by Nikolai Demidenko in Madrid and Stanislav Pochekin in Barcelona.