Medal Progression System

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Paloma O'Shea was born in the Bilbao suburb of Las Arenas, Biscay, Spain, a daughter of José O'Shea y Sebastián de Erice (descended from Irishman William O'Shea who came to Spain in the 18th century) and María de la Asunción de Artiñano y Luzarraga, married at Concepción, Madrid, on 2 May 1935. She started studying piano in 1941 in Bilbao and later moved to France to further her music studies. At the age of 15 she won the Primer Premio Fin de Carrera and performed as soloist with the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra. Several years later she married banker Emilio Botín, the previous Executive Chairman of Grupo Santander, and devoted herself to promoting classical music in Spain. A very close friend to Queen Sofía, she was created Marchioness of O'Shea by King Juan Carlos I in 2008.

In Their Own Story

In 1972, Paloma O'Shea founded the Concurso de Piano de Santander, which was later named after her as the Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition. It very soon recollected international fame and relevance, as demonstrated by its entering in 1976 in the International Competitions Federation, based in Geneva. It was precisely the development of the Competition what woke in Paloma O'Shea the idea of an improvement of musical training in Spain. Spanish pianists had problems getting to the final phases of the Competition; the reason was not their talent, but the few opportunities they had to reach a higher level of education. That was the inception of piano masterclasses offered in Santander by important soloists and pedagogues, in partnership with Menéndez Pelayo International University. This isolated series of lessons gave place to a regular and broader call for Summer Courses, celebrated each year in Santander and including instruments other than piano.

Reader's Guide

In 1991, Paloma O'Shea founded the Reina Sofía School of Music, a private music school now one of the leading music schools in Spain. After the experience gained at the Competition, she aimed to create a permanent center in Spain with the support of prominent artistic personalities including Alicia de Larrocha, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Yehudi Menuhin and Mstislav Rostropovich. Her Majesty the Queen Sofía gave support to the project, fulfilling the role of Honorary President. After twenty years of temporary location in Pozuelo de Alarcón, the School was transferred in autumn 2009 to its new location, designed by the architect Miguel Oriol and built by the Albéniz Foundation. It is an emblematic building located in the Plaza de Oriente in Madrid, next to the Royal Palace and Royal Theater. The Sony Auditorium offers digital audio, communication, lighting and video systems for productions, with acoustics designed by Vicente Mestre and an organ built by Gerhard Grenzing. The auditorium features chamber music, hosting approximately 150 shows a year, and seats 351 people. In July 2001, the Santander Encounter 'Music and Academy' was founded. Each month of July the Encounter encourages the coexistence of important maestri and young musicians coming from the best European Schools. It also mixes classrooms and stages, filling Santander and Cantabria with music with 60 public concerts and more than 500 hours of masterclasses. Paloma O'Shea holds the Légion d'honneur of France, the gold medal of the Spanish Institute in New York, and the Picasso Award of the UNESCO. She has six children and divides her time between Madrid and Santander.

Did You Know?

• Paloma O'Shea started studying piano in 1941 at age 5.
• At age 15 she won the Primer Premio Fin de Carrera and performed as soloist with the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra.
• She was created Marchioness of O'Shea by King Juan Carlos I in 2008.
• The Reina Sofía School of Music's Sony Auditorium seats 351 people and hosts approximately 150 shows a year.
• The Santander Encounter 'Music and Academy' features 60 public concerts and more than 500 hours of masterclasses each July.