Artaika Trio take first prize at CIMCA 2026, which saw the participation of 20 ensembles, and in which the eight finalists have shown an exceptionally high standard. The same trio won the Hontañón Award and its violinist took the Jesús de Monasterio Award.
Once again, CIMCA took place at the beginning of summer, in a new edition that is even more ambitious and continues to make this music competition one of the best in Spain, with the participation of ensembles of great quality and a strong international character, which consolidate in this competition their path in musical performance.
We have experienced a competition of extremely high quality, with ensembles that can boast a lengthy track record of major awards, and that come to Arnuero from different parts of Spain, such as Madrid, Barcelona or San Sebastián, as well as from abroad, from London, Paris and Basiela.
As a prelude to the competition phase, on Friday 3 July there was an excellent opening concert with the absolute premiere of the work “Trío V” by José Manuel López López, an order from the Arnuero Town Hall for the XXIII International Chamber Music Competition of Arnuero (CIMCA 2026). José Manuel López López, a prominent composer of well-known international prestige, composed the work “Trío V” for clarinet, cello and piano so that its premiere would take place at the opening concert of CIMCA 2026. The concert, whose performance was carried out by Carlos Apellániz on the piano, David Apellániz on the cello, Luis Fernández Castelló on the clarinet and Juan Luis Gallego on the violin, had the following complete programme:
- Trio for clarinet, cello and piano. Antonio Gómez Schneekloth
- Fantasiestücke op. 43 for clarinet and piano. Niels Gade
- Trío V for clarinet, cello and piano (absolute premiere). José Manuel López López
- Trio No. 2 Op. 67 for violin, cello and piano. Dimitri Shostakovich
Once the initial selection phase had been completed, which each year the Jury carries out by assessing the videos submitted by twenty ensembles from very diverse locations around the world, the eight chosen were determined to take part in the live audition classification phase on Saturday, and from these, only four formations went through to the grand final.
The ensembles that took part in the classification phase on Saturday were:
- Mirage Dúo: piano four-hands, from Frankfurt
- Dúo Ariassaiz: piano and cello, from Santander
- Rem Dúo: piano and violin, from Rome
- Artaika Trío: piano, violin and cello, from Paris
- Trío Brissa da Camera: piano, clarinet and cello, from Castellón
- A Delta Trío: trio of saxophones, from Basilea
- Óxigen Quartet: quartet of saxophones, from Musikene
- Celanova Brass: brass wind quintet, from Ourense and A Coruña
After the grand final, the result was as follows:
First prize: “Artaika Trío” for the performance of “Trío en la menor de Maurice Ravel”. Ensemble formed by Loubna Kammarti, violin, Lou Hantaï, cello, and John Argelès, piano, from the Conservatoire Superior of Paris. Prize of 3,000 euros, diploma and a paid concert at the Centro Botín in Santander.
Second prize: “ Brisa de Camera”, for the performance of “Trío para clarinete, violonchelo y piano en La menor” by Brahms. Ensemble from the Conservatoire of Castellón, formed by Izan Llinares, clarinet, Ángela Domínguez, cello, and Fernando Alarcón, piano. Prize of 2,000 euros, diploma and a paid concert within the Marcos Históricos series of the International Festival of Santander.
“Ricardo Hontañón” Award for the best performance of a work written after 1945 by “Artaika Trío”. Prize of 1,000 euros and diploma.
Jesús de Monasterio Award for the most outstanding violinist for Loubna Kammarti, from the group ” Artaika Trío”. Award consisting of a diploma and concert, sponsored by the Real Sociedad Menéndez Pelayo, at the Casa Museo Jesús de Monasterio.
Award for the best ensemble with roots in Cantabria for Dúo Ariassaiz: formed by Pedro Arias, cello, and María Teresa Saiz, piano, from Santander.
The finalists of the XXII CIMCA who did not win a prize were:
“A Delta Trío” from Basilea, who performed “Suite for Wind trío” by Alexandre Transman.
“Mirage Dúo”, piano four-hands, from Frankfurt, who performed “Rhapsodie espagnole“ by Maurice Ravel.