Maria Canals music push
Spain’s Maria Canals piano competition launched a new outreach program this week to bring music education to underprivileged six‑year‑olds across Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and Bilbao—backed by Fundación Occidente and aimed at breaking down access barriers to classical training Maria Canals opens the door to music for underprivileged children.
The outreach is running under the name "My turn to play!" (¡Me Toca!) (gco.com) and is presented as a joint social project between the Maria Canals Competition association and Fundación Occidente (fundacionoccident.org). Organisers initially announced that 140 children aged 6–8 would receive piano grants for the 2024–2025 school year. (gco.com) A sector summary published after the season closed reported 135 scholarships granted for that same cycle. (blog.segurostv.es) Scholarships are designed to cover a minimum three‑year course of piano study, with beneficiary selection coordinated through participating partner schools in the targeted neighbourhoods. (mariacanals.org) The Maria Canals association is folding the scheme into its wider Educational Programme, which already runs didactic auditions, hospital classes and school seminars as part of its off‑competition activity. (mariacanals.org) Fundación Occidente and the Maria Canals organisers have previously staged public‑facing outreach such as the "Your city is full of pianos" campaign that placed grand pianos in Bilbao and Barcelona to bring music into public spaces. (gco.com) The social push dovetails with the Competition’s calendar: the Maria Canals International Piano Competition is staging its 71st edition from 15–26 March 2026, with over €80,000 in prize money on offer, strengthening the association’s platform for promoting early music training. (mariacanals.org)
