Marialy Pacheco has won the Montreux Solo Piano Competition 2012, which is the greatest recognition of her talents. In the 15-year history of the competition, she is the first woman ever to win the prize. Leszek Mozdzer, the Jury president explained that it was difficult to choose between the three contestants. The contestants’ joy in performing and their authenticity influenced our decision-making. Marialy Pacheco was born in Havana in 1983. She began piano studies at the Conservatorio Alejandro Garcia Caturla when she was just 15. She attended the Escuela Nacional de Artes at age 15. Then she studied composition under Tulio Perumo at the Instituto Superior de Artes. She won the 2002 Cuban competition Jo-Jazz. Chucho Valdes, a Grammy winner, presided over the jury. She recorded her first album, “Bendiciones”, two years later. She moved to Germany in 1995 and toured Europe solo and with her trio. This earned her an international reputation. Marialy Pacheco, a jazz-act, performed in 2013 at the Bosendorfer jubilee. She was joined by classical stars Valentina Lisitsa, Maria Mazo, and the Musikverein Wien. Marialy Pacheco was named the first female jazz pianist to become an official Bosendorfer Artist in 2014. In spring 2014, her new album “Introducing” (Neuklang/Edel:Kultur) was released. It is her third album as a trio, after several solo albums. Juan Camilo Villa Robles plays bass, and Miguel Altamar de la Torre plays drums (both from Colombia). She was invited as “special guests” by Joo Kraus (echo jazz winner), a german trumpet player, and even Rhani Krija (moroccan percussionist) to perform with her trio. In August 2014, she gave her debut as classical pianist and showed her musical variety, when she performed Bach’s g-moll concerto with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane/Australia, conducted by Gustavo Gimeno Marialy Pacheco has performed at national and international festivals like Montreux Jazz Festival, Aalener Jazzfest, Enter Music Festival (Poland), St. Moritz Art Masters (Switzerland),Rheingau-Musik-Festival, ZMF Freiburg, Jazzfestival Oloron (France) Audi Jazzfestival, Ingolstadter Jazztage, Piano City Milano, Havana Jazzfestival, Beethovenfestival Bonn and the International Trio Festival in Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. Marialy Pacheco’s limited 180g vinyl album “Live Studio Album” was released in January 2016. It was recorded in an audiophile fully analog Direct-To-2 Track Version. She presented “Danzon Cubano” with WDR Funkhaus Orchestra live-stream at ARTE TV concerts in June 2016 and at Bonn’s Beethovenfest in Bonn. In september 2017, the project was again presented at the Philharmonie Koln as well as at the Viersen Internaz Jazz Festival. Marialy released her album “DUETS” in April 2017. It was intimate and multifaceted and Marialy invited many of her favorite musicians and friends, including Hamilton de Holanda and Omar Sosa and Joo Kraus. Marialy was invited to perform in Cuba 2 concerts by the German Ambassador in January 2018. She also performed at the International Jazzfestival Port-au-Prince, Haiti in February 2018. She presented her first Italy Tour in February 2018, along with Joo Kraus, the trumpet player. There were concerts in Milan, Naples and Catania, and then there were summer concerts in Bari and Fiesole. Marialy was part of various line-ups that presented “DUETS” during summer and fall 2018. She performed with Omar Sosa at,,Woman in Jazz” Festival, Rhani Krija at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, as well as Joo Kraus at Luxembourg Philharmonic. Marialy signed with Ellora Mangament in the USA for worldwide management and representation of artists such as Ahmad Jamal and HIROMI. Marialy Pacheco is currently the only female pianist among the famous Cuban jazz piano players Roberto Fonseca and Omar Sosa. from www.marialypacheco.com
