Jaume Ferrer Marí, cultural reference of Sant Carles and architect of the historic Ibiza piano competition, passes away.

The cultural community of Sant Carles and the whole island mourns the death of Jaume Ferrer Marí, a key figure in the dissemination of classical music and the consolidation of local cultural heritage. The promoter, born in 1932 in Sant Carles de Peralta, died at the age of 93, leaving behind a legacy that transformed the musical and associative panorama of Ibiza.

The soul of the cultural center of Sant Carles

Ferrer Marí was founder and president of the cultural center of the parish of Sant Carles, an entity that opened its doors in 1967 and that he directed until 2015. This space became one of the first formally registered associations in the Pitiusas, a milestone that marked the community development of the village and that today continues to be a social and artistic meeting point.

Institutional awards

In 2016, the Balearic Government distinguished Ferrer Marí with the Premi Ramon Llull, valuing “his decisive contribution to the projection of piano and classical music at local, national and international levels”. The distinction also recognized the creation of the Ibiza International Music Festival and the Ibiza International Piano Competition, both founded in 1987 and today considered the longest-running competitions in the Pitiusas and a reference in the Balearic Islands.

A year later, in 2017, the Consell de Ibiza awarded him the citizen merit, a recognition reserved for those who have contributed in an “exceptional” way to the island’s public life.

Reactions: the island bids farewell to a reference point

The president of the Consell de Ibiza, Vicent Marí, publicly expressed his sorrow through a message on social networks in which he stressed that Ferrer Marí was “the soul of the Sant Carles piano festival and a beloved neighbor”. According to the leader, “he leaves a lifetime dedicated to music and to his people”, a legacy that, he stressed, “must inspire new generations”.

From the insular institution also released a statement lamenting the loss of the founder of the cultural center and recalling that the piano competition was distinguished with the citizen merit in 2017.

A contest that opened Sant Carles to the world

The Ibiza International Piano Competition, promoted by Ferrer Marí, held its first edition in 1987 and remained annual until 2001, when it became biennial. Only two exceptions -2008 and 2013- broke that periodicity. The competition has brought together emerging and established figures, and its juries have been composed, since its inception, by local specialists and musicians from the rest of Spain and the international scene. In 1998 the figure of the executive president of the jury was incorporated, a position reserved for world-renowned pianists.

Since 2000, the honorary presidency has been held by Princess Irene of Greece, which has contributed to strengthening the external projection of the competition.