Spanish composer and pianist, born in Sagunto. He begins his pianistic training at the age of three, in the school Música Temprana in Valencia, with professor Jesús García. At age thirteen he continues his studies with the Spanish pianist Cristina Casale, and with French pianist Emmanuel Ferrer-Laloë, professor at Musikene Conservatory. In May 2018, Jorge completes his Bachelors 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 the American composer Lowell Liebermann, and Russian pianist Irina Morozova.
In April 2018, Jorge was awarded one of the most prestigious scholarships in Spain: 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 with a “President Scholarship” from Mannes for his double-master. In 2020 he graduates from his double master in composition and piano having been granted the Steinway Award, which is given to pianists that demonstrate artistic excellence. In 2022 he was awarded a scholarship at Rutgers University to pursue a double doctorate in composition and piano with Robert Aldridge and Min Kwon. This same year Jorge has been appointed Composer in Residence by the Accord Symphony Orchestra, in Washington DC, directed by Juan Gallastegui.
Recently he has has been awarded with the 1st Prize at the Aglaia Music Awards, in Madrid, Spain, for his Preludes for Piano. He has also been awarded the 2nd prize at the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Emerging Composers Competition in New York, for his orchestral piece Scherzo Artificioso. He was also recently awarded with the 2nd Prize at the «Academia Musica 2nd International Composition Competition» in Vienna, for his work String Trio No. 1, a Merit Award at the 23rd edition of the Tribeca New Music Young Composer Competition in New York, for his work Preludes for Piano, and at Merit Award at the 2022 edition of the Tribeca New Music Young Composer Competition in New York, for Tow Hispanic Dances for Violin and Piano. Moreover, he 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. This piece was performed by The Rigar Chamber Choir “Ave Sol” in the Final Round of the competition, which took place the 20 th of November of 2021..
His performances and compositions 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 by LRT Lithuanian National Television and Radio.
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.” Recently the CD has received 4 awards at the Music and Stars Awards: Gold Star for Best Piano Solo CD, Gold Star for Best CD Concept, Gold Star for Best Sound Editing, and Silver Star for Best Cover.
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 2019, 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.
Stands out his participation as composer and pianist in the I Iturbi Festival 2020, for which he has done 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 XXXVII edition of the Sagunt a Escena Festival, 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. He has also participated as an invited solo artist to perform in numerous other Festivals, such as the Serenates Festival 2020, Porto PianoFest 2020, or the XX edition of the “Festival de Música Sant Pere de Rodes.”
As a soloist, stands out his debut in the modernist Concert Hall of the Palau de la Música Catalana, in September 2020, as part of the «El Primer Palau» concert series, in which he performed his own compositions among other pieces. As an orchestral soloist, stands out his debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the University of Valencia, with conductor Beatriz Fernández, at the Iturbi Hall of the Palau de la Música de Valencia, Mozart Hall of the Auditorio de Zaragoza, and Teatro Serrano de Gandía. Also stands out his debut with the Vienna International Orchestra, conducted by Robert Lehrbaumer at the
Gemeindezentrum Halbturn, in Vienna, Austria. He has also performed in different Spanish cities, and in an international level in Austria, France, Italy, Portugal, England, Germany, Canada and the United States.
As a composer, stands out his recent world premiere live in the studios of RNE Radio Nacional de España, Radio Clasica, of his Fantasia for flute and piano. Also, his recent world premiere of his work Danza for Piano Trio at the 42nd edition of the International Chamber Music Week of Montserrat, performed by Pangea Ensemble, stands out. Also, the performance at Le Poisson Rouge, New York, by the “Helix!” ensemble of Jorge’s work Two Hispanic Dances which were conducted by Kynan Johns in November 2022. Also, his work «Two Preludes for Orchestra» and «Two Hispanic Dances for Orchestra» was recently premiered by the DC Strings Orchestra in Washington DC under the direction of 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 Percufest itself. 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 recent 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. Other of his works for chamber ensembles and for piano have been performed by musicians of international acclaim, in numerous cities of Spain, such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, León, Zaragoza and Murcia, and in an international level, in different recital halls of the United States.
He has been awarded top prizes in numerous international competitions such as, Aglaia Music Awards, Spain, Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Emerging Composers Competition, New York City, Academia Musica 2nd International Composition Competition, Vienna, Tribeca New Music Young Composer Competition, New York City, Metropolitan International Piano Competition, New York City, Rondo Forma Competition, New York City, 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, 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.
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, 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, and Friedemann Rieger.