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Nuria Ruiz Pastrana, pianist from Los Barrios: Raw Talent
This promising young pianist from Los Barrios is very clear about what she wants: to turn her passion into a profession and go wherever her piano takes her.
Nuria Ruiz Pastrana has a promising future ahead of her. Born in Los Barrios, she trained at the Muñoz Molleda Conservatory of Music in La Línea. At 23, she combines her studies of Piano at the Bonifacio Gil music conservatory in Badajoz with her training under prestigious pianists Ángel Sanzo and Nino Kereselidze in Madrid.
Nuria’s mother enrolled her at a school in Los Barrios when she was very young, and this led her to go on to study at the Conservatory in La Línea. It was always clear to her that piano was her passion.
She acknowledges that studying music requires significant sacrifices.
Those who make it must complement their studies at school or an institute with classes at a conservatory which, in addition to lectures, make for a lot of hours of homework.
However, Nuria Ruiz Pastrana feels her efforts have paid off. She has found a positive balance and doesn’t feel that she has missed out on life by dedicating herself to the piano: “Yes, it’s true, it’s very demanding.
You have to dedicate two afternoons a week to playing, and I had the added disadvantage that my parents had to take me to La Línea from Los Barrios. All this in addition to extra-curricular activities and hours of studying. But I liked it so much, I didn’t see it as a sacrifice. I really enjoyed it and it was worth it.”
She treasures great memories from her time at the Conservatory in La Línea: “I had fantastic teachers who always instilled in me their love for music and I’m very proud to have studied in La Línea.”
She is grateful for the opportunities she has been given in La Línea: “I can only speak for myself when I say that I’ve always had access to playing and attending concerts, as well as great teachers and classmates.
The La Línea Musical Society “Félix Rodríguez”, led by Paco Mescua, is doing an impressive job in that sense. It also organizes the prestigious La Línea City Piano Course every year. The work they are doing is incredible.”
What’s in store for the future?
This year she will continue her further education and, while she has not yet considered her future, she is determined that the piano will be part of it: “Honestly, I haven’t thought about it. I really like piano competitions, which could be an option, as is teaching, which would be a nice job. I haven’t decided anything yet but I’m certain that I want to dedicate myself to this. I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I will go wherever I can take my piano.”
At the beginning of May, she performed a recital in La Línea, and the last time Nuria played here was five years ago. Her next performances will take place in Badajoz and Madrid. She admits she’d love to play in her hometown, Los Barrios. “I’d like that very much”, she affirms.
An award-winning trajectory
Despite her young age, Nuria Ruíz Pastrana already enjoys an award-winning career. She won first prize in the first edition of the Concurso de Música de Cámara Cuidad de Algeciras and received the award for Most Promising Pianist at the Festival for Young Musicians in Gibraltar a few years ago.
She has also won first prize in the 4th Julio García Casas Competition, and second prize in the 36th edition of the Marisa Montiel Competition.
Nuria Ruiz Pastrana, pianist from Los Barrios: Raw Talent
