About

Pelayo Ciria was born in 1999 in Alcalá de Henares, where he began his musical studies at the Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Alcalá de Henares in 2007 under the guidance of teacher Marta Espinosa, completing his studies with the End of Grade Prize. During this time, he furthered his training by attending courses with distinguished teachers such as Claudio Martínez Mehner, Miguel Ituarte, Josep Colom, Marta Zabaleta, among others, and participated in the international course Pirineos Classics, as well as masterclasses with renowned teachers like Hieyon Choi (Peabody Institute of music).

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He completed his studies in Spain at the Centro Superior Katarina Gurska in Madrid, under the mentorship of Maestros Bruno Vlahek and Josep Colom, from 2017 to 2022.

He won the First Hazen Prize in the solo instrument category at the Conservatorio de Alcalá de Henares, as well as the first prize in the instrumentalists and ensembles category with his piano duo, Duo Rex, in the fourth edition of Rising Talents of Europe. Additionally, he received an Honorable Mention at the First International Piano Competition "Villa de Madrid", the First UAX-Kawai International Piano Competition, the FKG Talent Awards Competition, and the absolute first prize in The Art of Piano Competition.

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In his home country, Spain, he has performed at prestigious venues such as the Museo Casa de la Moneda (Madrid), the Music Hall of the University of Alcalá de Henares, the Madrid City Hall — as part of the international festival "Los Nocturnos de Cibeles", the Ateneo de Madrid, the Museum of Romanticism, the Chamber Music Cycle in the Rehabilitated Heritage of Toledo, Sala Eutherpe in León, the Casa de Cultura in Avilés, and has collaborated multiple times with the Orquesta Ciudad de Alcalá.

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With his piano duo, Duo Rex, he has premiered works by contemporary composers such as José Zárate and performed at renowned venues like the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum and the historic Rector's Palace Hall in Dubrovnik, Croatia. They have performed in different venues with original compositions from Guiomar Ortiz, and original arrangements of pieces by Piazzola or Rachmaninov.

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He has worked as an accompanist at various conservatories, as well as in the conducting classes of Maestros Borja Quintas and Miquel Rodrigo, and has participated in international conducting masterclasses with Dimitris Botinis and Denis Vlasenko.

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Very dedicated in his love for contemporary music, he has premiered different pieces from composers like Guiomar Ortiz and worked with living composers like Víctor Carbajo or César Viana. Trained in jazz studies and improvisation, he often includes this genres into his concerts as well as film music or musical theatre, having taken part of different productions like “The Pajama Game” (2024), or "Into the Woods" (2025) in The Neidorff-Karpatti Hall in New York.

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He was part of the premiere of Gustavo Díaz Jerez's first opera "La Casa Imaginaria" in 2018 at the Auditorio Ciudad de León with the CSKG Chamber Orchestra.

He has also performed with jazz combos and Big Bands at venues such as the Teatro de los Canónigos in Segovia and the Soria Music Hall as part of the Short Film Week 2021.

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He made his debut as a soloist with conductor Dimitris Botinis, performing Beethoven's Triple Concerto at the Miguel Delibes Auditorium in Valladolid. In February 2022, he debuted at the National Auditorium of Spain in Madrid, performing "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin.

That same month, he was invited to participate in the production of "El Sobre Verde", a major production by the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid, the world's largest theater dedicated to this genre. He was invited to perform in 12 shows, plus 3 additional performances at the Teatro Palacio Valdés, receiving wide praise in the national Spanish press.

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In September 2022, he was invited to perform as a soloist at the prestigious "Otoño Soriano" festival, where pianists such as Ivo Pogorelich, Maria João Pires, and Alicia de Larrocha have performed. He performed Saint-Saëns' 5th Piano Concerto with the Soria Festival Orchestra and conductor Borja Quintas to great acclaim. A week later, he performed Liszt's Totentanz at another of Spain's most important venues, the Miguel Delibes Music Hall.

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He completed his master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music with Dr. Solomon Mikowsky and Mr. Alexandre Moutouzkine, and

maintains a strong connection with the institution, working as a staff pianist for the Precollege and College Divisions, collaborating with distinguished professors and artists such as Ashley Putnam, Mignon Dunn, Linda Chesis and Christopheren Nomura.

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He has performed at major venues in the United States, including Carnegie Hall in June 2024, and continues his international career with performances in Spain, including a Gershwin-themed Concert in November 2024, conducted by the renowned conductor Manuel Coves.