Spanish pianist Guillermo Hernández Barrocal wins Second Prize at the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists

The 18-year-old from Valladolid finished among the top three pianists in his division at one of the leading competitions in the United States, after competing in the final round with orchestra in Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland (Ohio), 1 August 2026 — Spanish pianist Guillermo Hernández Barrocal (Valladolid, 2008) has been awarded Second Prize in the Senior Division of the Cleveland International Piano Competition for Young Artists (CIPC), one of the most internationally prominent piano competitions for young musicians, held from 24 to 31 July 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio (USA). With this award, the 18-year-old confirms his place among the most outstanding pianists of his generation on the international stage.

Guillermo reached the final round of the Senior Division — for performers aged 16 to 18 — as one of three finalists selected by the jury, alongside pianists from China and South Korea. The final, held from 29 to 31 July, included a concerto round with the Canton Symphony Orchestra conducted by Steven Byess and a masterclass round led by French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, one of today’s great pianists.

The competition is organised by Piano Cleveland, the institution behind the Cleveland International Piano Competition, a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) and one of the landmark piano events in the United States since its founding in 1975. Its Young Artists edition brings together performers from around the world in a multi-round format — a recorded round followed by live semifinals and finals — and offers participants masterclasses, chamber music collaborations and the chance to perform as soloists with orchestra. This year’s jury was chaired by pianist Olga Kern.

The 2026 edition drew more than 300 pre-selected applicants from over 20 countries in its initial round; only thirteen reached the semifinals and six the final round.

Past laureates of the Cleveland competition include now-established artists such as Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Nicholas Angelich, Sergei Babayan, Angela Hewitt and Antonio Pompa-Baldi, placing Hernández Barrocal’s award within a proven path to an international career. Alumni of the Young Artists edition include Eva Gevorgyan, winner of the Junior Division in 2018 and today one of the most sought-after young concert pianists, and Yunchan Lim, Second Prize that same year and now one of the world’s most acclaimed performers after winning the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022.

This Second Prize adds to a record that includes First Prize and the Audience Award at the 5th Shigeru Kawai International Piano Competition in Tokyo (2025) and victory at the Jeune Chopin Competition in Lugano (2023), among other distinctions that confirm the steady international rise of this young Spanish pianist.