Andorran Piano Students Complete Training at Budapest's Franz Liszt Academy
Four advanced piano students from Andorra's Conservatory spent five days in intensive masterclasses at the prestigious Hungarian music academy,.
Key Points
- Students Joel Andrés, Sergio Pacheco, Sergi Sansa, and Martí Sansa trained 15-20 February at Franz Liszt Academy.
- Daily masterclasses with award-winning pianist Marouan Benabdallah, who won Andorra's Piano Prize in 2003.
- Head of piano department Míriam Manubens called it 'decisive' after 10-12 years of intensive study.
- Aims: test against international standards, build networks, prepare for 9 May end-of-year recital.
Four piano students from Andorra's Conservatory have completed a successful training stint at Budapest's prestigious Franz Liszt Academy of Music, marking a key milestone in their professional development.
The students—Joel Andrés, Sergio Pacheco, Sergi Sansa, and Martí Sansa—spent five days in the Hungarian capital from 15 to 20 February. Organised by Andorra la Vella council in partnership with the Culture and Foreign Affairs ministries, the programme featured daily masterclasses, work on new pieces, and dedicated study rooms.
Míriam Manubens, head of the conservatory's piano department, described the trip as "decisive, at a crucial moment in the students' professional lives." She noted that just four sixth-grade piano pupils finished the programme this year, after 10 to 12 years of intensive study involving "many hours, demands, sacrifice, and personal effort."
Sergi Sansa said the experience opened new perspectives: upon arriving at the vast institution with its high standards, "you realise you're in a place that pushes you to improve, where you discover different teaching methods. It's enriching and reveals possibilities you might not have considered."
The group joined elite-level routines, starting piano sessions at 8am alongside their teachers, Manubens and Cristina Gallart, who specialises in musical language and piano. A highlight was masterclasses with Marouan Benabdallah, an internationally acclaimed pianist who has won awards from Portugal to the US since 2003 and was mentored for over a decade by influential pedagogue Ferenc Rados. Benabdallah, who took Andorra's Piano Prize in 2003, also offered guidance for the students' end-of-year recital on 9 May.
Manubens emphasised the dual goals: testing the students against top international standards, building networks, and viewing Budapest as a viable training hub. "We're elite athletes too," she added, hoping to repeat such exchanges.
Back home, the students are still absorbing what Manubens called an "intense, centrifugal journey," equipping them for their upcoming performance.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: