Natura Concert: Nature, Life and Love — II
ADDA Alicante Symphony Orchestra
Carles Marín — piano
Nayden Todorov — guest conductor
Dvořák — Overture "In the Kingdom of Nature"
Saint-Saëns — Piano Concerto No. 5 "Egyptian"
Beethoven — Symphony No. 8
INDIVIDUAL TICKET SALES: From 30 July 2026.
CARLES MARÍN — Piano
Pianist Carles Marín has given recitals in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including the Miami International Piano Festival; the “Grosser Saal” of the Mozarteum (as part of the Salzburg Festival); the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; De Doelen in Rotterdam; the “Sala Michelangeli” at the Bolzano Festival; Salle Cortot in Paris; Salle Gotique in Brussels; the Florence Festival; the “Seymour Centre” in Sydney; the “Festival del Mediterrani” (under the artistic direction of Maestro Zubin Mehta); the “Rafael Orozco” Festival in Córdoba; the “Manuel de Falla” Auditorium in Granada; the Palau de la Música Catalana; the Fundación Juan March in Madrid; the Echternach Festival (Luxembourg); the Lucca Festival; the symphonic hall of the Palau de les Arts “Reina Sofía”; the “Iturbi” Hall of the Palau de la Música in Valencia; the “Mozart” Hall of the Zaragoza Auditorium; the “Bossi” Hall in Bologna; and the Ateneo in Milan, among others.
Following his early debut under Maestro Miguel Ángel Gómez-Martínez, he has performed as soloist with leading orchestras such as the Orquesta de la Comunidad Valenciana and the resident orchestra of the Palau de les Arts “Reina Sofía”, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, the Orquesta de Valencia, the Rotterdam Ensemble, the Mahler Chamber Soloists, the Madrid “Reina Sofía” Symphony Orchestra, the Córdoba Symphony Orchestra, Moonwinds Sinfònic, the Castellón and Elche orchestras, and the Andrés Segovia Orchestra—under conductors including Bernácer, Bragado, Dinic, García Asensio, Omer Meir Welber, Soler, Beltrán-Zabala, Valero Terribas, Lluna, Josep Vicent, and Liebreich.
As a composer, he is known for his *Etudes for Piano* and the *Paraphrase on Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries* (Boileau Editions, Barcelona). His variation cycles *Matrioshka* and *Fígaro* will receive their world premieres, performed by Marín himself at the Gustav Mahler Center in Dobbiaco, summer 2026.
He has won numerous international competition awards, including First Prize at the “Scarlatti” Competition (Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, 2007); Best Soloist Award at the Internationale Sommerakademie Mozarteum (Salzburg, 2008); First Prize at the FLAME Competition (UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, 2003); First Prize at the José Roca Competition (Valencia, 2000); First Prize from the Yamaha Foundation of Europe (2001); the Huysens Prize for Artistic Excellence in Amsterdam (awarded by the Dutch Government, 2007); and Second Prize at the Marsala International Competition (2007).
He has also been awarded prizes at other international competitions, including those in Panama, Iturbi, Vianna da Mota, the Baltic Competition (Gdańsk), and Sydney.
He studied with Amparo Fandos, María Gil, Joaquín Soriano, Ramzi Yassa, Aquiles Delle Vigne, Mario Monreal, Claudio Martínez-Mehner, Giselle Brodsky, Joaquín Achúcarro, Edna Golandsky, and Jorge Luís Prats. He received masterclasses and advice from Alicia de Larrocha and Michel Béroff.
He is a professor at the Katarina Gurska Higher School of Music in Madrid.
NAYDEN TODOROV — Guest Conductor
Nayden Todorov is one of today’s leading European musicians, renowned for his versatile and vivid interpretations across musical genres.
Born in 1974 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, he began piano lessons at age five and made his conducting debut at sixteen.
After studies in Sofia, Vienna, and Jerusalem, he launched an international concert career, performing across Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa.
He has collaborated with orchestras including the Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo City Philharmonic, Israel Northern Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Brasília National Symphony Orchestra, Cairo Philharmonic, Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, and many others.
In classical music, he has worked with most of today’s foremost artists, including Joshua Bell, Midori, Sarah Chang, Maxim Vengerov, Martha Argerich, Maria João Pires, Ivo Pogorelich, Gautier Capuçon, Roberto Alagna, Thomas Hampson, and Plácido Domingo.
He has also collaborated with prominent pop artists such as Jon Lord (Deep Purple), Anastacia, Steve Balsamo, Doogie White, and many more.
He hosts a television programme on classical music and, in his spare time, writes short stories—some published in a collection.
In his native Bulgaria, he was twice named “Musician of the Year.”
For his cultural contributions, he was awarded Romania’s Order of Cultural Merit, Grand Officer rank, by the President of Romania. Recently, he was appointed Knight of the French Republic’s Order of Arts and Letters.
Since 2017, he has served as Music Director of the Sofia Philharmonic; in recent years, he has also served three times as Minister of Culture of Bulgaria.