You sense Leo de María has his father’s penchant for adventure – pianist Leonel Morales left his native Cuba when he was 26 to participate in the Queen Elisabeth Competition, then taking advantage of flight connections and jumped ship with one suitcase in Madrid where he stayed and established a remarkable career. He also raised a brilliant pianist son who still takes lessons with him and plays piano duos with him in the Duo Morales, says PETA STEWART:
Leo, who won gold at the 2024 UNISA Piano Competition, came to Cape Town last year and made contact with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra with the result that he is opening Autumn Symphonies at the City Hall on April 2 with the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, a concerto that he calls “brilliant, one of my favourite 6 that I have been playing since I was 16; technically demanding, inspiring, and passionate with lyrical melodies”.
He is also going to a game farm outside Cape Town for a couple of nights, looking forward to seeing the Big Five and also experiencing more fish dinners in the harbour in Cape Town, then jetting off to Bloemfontein and Pretoria and Johannesburg for more concerts.
To avoid continual confusion since he and his father share a name, Leo changed his. He chose to make use of his mother’s name, Maria, and together the family established the Morales Herrero Elite Piano Academy which this year has 18 students from Spain, Germany, Austria, China, Cuba, Japan, and also South Africa, who are offered comprehensive training focused on artistic development, preparation for competitions and to help with the progression of their careers.
Can’t live without music
Leo wasn’t always going to be a pianist but “fell in love when I was 11 with a young girl who came for masterclasses with my father and was embarrassed when she challenged me to show what I could play.“ He turned down the challenge because he knew nothing at the time, but immediately his interest was ignited and he told his parents he would be a pianist. Although he started late, he applied himself with such intensity that by the age of 30 he has garnered top prizes in more than 50 international competitions, the first when he was 19 at the Lyon Competition in France.
By his own admission, Leo can’t live without music. “If I were injured, I just don’t know what I would do. I am also addicted to competitions and feel sad that I have reached the age when I can no longer enter. You connect with people, meet important jury members, and even if you don’t win you commit to improving. It’s a beautiful atmosphere.”
It is also a great way to network.
He goes on: “If you win, doors open on many platforms – you are offered concerts in major venues and even tours.”
Apart from the Duo Morales, he has a chamber music project with Bulgarian violinist Zornitsa Ilarionova. While much of his time is spent performing and teaching, Leo is CEO of the Morales Herrero Academy, where he organises projects including the Leonel Morales & Friends International Music Festival and Masterclasses, the “Compositores de España” International Piano Competition in Madrid and the Maria Herrero International Piano, Violin and Cello Competitions in Granada.
Very busy musical schedule
A graduate of the Mozarteum, Leo is pursuing doctoral studies in piano performance at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim. Then he gives masterclasses at The Hotchkiss School “Summer Portals” in the US and at the Sommerakademie of the Mozarteum University and in Porto. Leo also heads up the Youth Piano Experience: Masterclass for Children and Teenagers, held every July in Granada and is a frequent jury member internationally.
“We are the interpreters,” he says. “Music is a language and we need to recreate it every time. We are the bridge between composer and audience and we need to translate the message. Music is not like a cathedral which stands there forever; or even a painting – it constantly changes. It’s my duty to leave something behind when I go and my school will be my legacy.”
Don’t miss his interpretation of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concert on April 2, when conductor laureate Bernhard Gueller will also direct the Scherzo in B-flat Minor by Mussorgsky and the Symphony No. 104, “London” by Haydn.
The dress rehearsal for the CPO concert on the same day is open to the public at 11am. There will be a pre-concert talk open to concertgoers at 6.45pm.
What: Pianist Leo De María with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra
Where and when: Cape Town City Hall on 2 April 2026
Concert tickets: CPO: Artscape Dial-A-Seat 021 421 7695 or Webtickets
Dress rehearsal tickets: Quicket
WS
