Karla Martínez Rabanal (Havana, 1988) trained at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Cuba, where she obtained the Gold Diploma. Thanks to scholarships from the Carolina Foundation, the Albéniz Foundation, and the MAEC-AECID, she continued her artistic development in Spain. She pursued postgraduate and advanced studies at the Liceu Conservatory of Barcelona with Tensy Krismant, and completed a Master’s in Musical Performance at the Reina Sofía School of Music with Dimitri Bashkirov and Denis Lossev.
In 2016, she received the Diploma for the Most Outstanding Student of the Chamber Music Department from Her Majesty Queen Sofía. She has been awarded prizes in competitions such as the María Clara Cullell (Costa Rica), Juventudes Musicales de Vilafranca del Penedés, Piano Cicle de Primavera (Barcelona), Amadeo Roldán and Musicalia (Cuba), in addition to obtaining recognition in chamber music competitions such as LArjau and UNEAC.
Her artistic career includes performances in Cuba, America, and Europe, both as a soloist and in various chamber ensembles. She has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, the Symphony Orchestra of Oriente, and the Lyceum Mozartiano Orchestra of Havana, with which she premiered Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto Op. 7 in Cuba in 2025.
She has participated in festivals such as Lesprit du piano (Bordeaux), Piano aux Jacobins (Toulouse), Habana Clásica, the Encounter of Young Pianists, the UIS Festival (Colombia), and the Encounter of Music and Academia of Santander. She is a member of the Dúo Boulanger and has collaborated with artists such as Leo Brouwer, Baldur Brönnimann, Ronald Zollman, José Antonio Méndez, and the Ars Longa ensemble.
Her discography includes the CD-DVD 20 Pianos (Gran Premio Cubadisco 2012) and the album Cuba: Piano Contemporáneo (2022). For years, she has combined her artistic activity with teaching and is currently a professor at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid.”
In 2016 she received the award for Most Outstanding Student in the Chamber Music Department from Her Majesty Queen Sofía. She has been awarded in competitions such as the María Clara Cullell International Competition (Costa Rica), Juventudes Musicales de Vilafranca del Penedés, Piano Cicle de Primavera (Barcelona), Amadeo Roldán and Musicalia (Cuba), as well as chamber music prizes at LArjau and UNEAC.
Her performance career spans Cuba, the Americas and Europe, both as a soloist and chamber musician. She has appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba, the Oriente Symphony Orchestra and the Lyceum Mozartiano of Havana, with which she premiered Clara Schumanns Piano Concerto Op. 7 in Cuba in 2025.
Martínez Rabanal has taken part in festivals including Lesprit du piano (Bordeaux), Piano aux Jacobins (Toulouse), Habana Clásica, the Encounter of Young Pianists, the UIS International Piano Festival (Colombia) and the Encounter of Music and Academia of Santander. She is a member of the Duo Boulanger, and has collaborated with artists such as Leo Brouwer, Baldur Brönnimann, Ronald Zollman, José Antonio Méndez and Ars Longa.
Her recordings include the award-winning CD-DVD 20 Pianos and her solo album Cuba: Piano Contemporáneo (2022). Alongside her artistic work, she has maintained a long-standing dedication to teaching and is currently a professor at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid.”