Ekhi Martínez Imai

Born in Valladolid, Spain, in 2002. From 2022 to 2024, he studied at the Reina Sofía School of Music’s Telefónica Violin Chair with professor Christoph Poppen. Her Majesty Queen Sofía handed him the Diploma to the most outstanding student of his chair in the 2023-2024 academic year.

He began his violin studies with his mother, Nanako Imai. In 2007 he entered Irun’s Local Music School where he continues his studies with Raffaela Acella.

He has also attended classes by Keiko Wataya, Lorenz Nasturica-Herschcowici and Tatiana Samouil, having received masterclasses by Ivry Gitlis, Mihaela Martin, Akiko Tatsumi, Nicolás Chumachenco, Miriam Fried, and Krzysztof Chorzelski (string ensembles).

He has been awarded first prize at the Pozuelo de Alarcón Violin Competition, Ciudad de Vigo International Violin Competition and Marie Cantagrill International Violin Competition, being also a laureate at the Arthur Grumiaux International Competition.

As soloist, he has played with orchestras such as the Euskadi Symphony, Musikene Symphony or the Musical Talents Development Project, created by the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, sharing stage with maestros such as Juanjo Mena, Pedro Halffter and Franck Ollu. In chamber music, he has received lessons from the Diotima Quartet and Isabel Charisius.

As a student of the School, he has been a member of the Freixenet Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Juanjo Mena and Péter Csaba; the Fundación EDP Camerata, conducted by Christoph Poppen. He has also been part of the Mendelssohn and the Asisa Óscar Esplá quartets.