José María (Chema) Casanova Ródenas combines his musical education—a degree in piano from the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Murcia (2009) and a diploma from Berklee School of Music in Boston, USA (2010)—with his economic and management training—an MBA from ENAE (2011)—and his business experience as General Director of Actividades e Inversiones Muralmur S.A., whose cultural section, ClaMo Music (Classical and Modern Music), was established in 2014.

That same year, he founded ClaMo Music, a piano-focused music school, alongside his sister Victoria Casanova, also a pianist and music educator. They initiated complementary activities such as masterclasses and, leveraging his musical expertise, launched the ClaMo International Piano Competition in the Region of Murcia in 2015.

Simultaneously, driven by his growing musical curiosity and versatility, he founded Unrisen Queen, recognized by the original members of Queen as one of the most prestigious tribute bands to the British group. He was invited twice by Queen and Peter Freestone to perform in Montreux, Switzerland, for the 10th official anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s passing.

Among his numerous concerts, one of the most notable was with the Symphony Orchestra of the Region of Murcia at the Víctor Villegas Auditorium in December 2015. He adapted Queen’s repertoire from scratch, ensuring maximum fidelity for orchestra, choir, and rock band. In the second half of the concert, the first prize winner of the ClaMo International Piano Competition (Rubén Micieli, Italy) performed alongside the ÖSRM.

Since then, he has established an annual collaboration with Pro Música Águilas, organizing outdoor moonlit piano recitals at San Juan de las Águilas Castle and scheduling concert performances for upcoming seasons.

Since 2017, in addition to being the Artistic Director of the ClaMo International Piano Competition, he has served as President of the Jury, a position he holds to this day.

He has been invited to Berlin as a jury member for the Mozart International Competition and to Barcelona as an attendee at the first global piano competition convention at the Palau de la Música, organized by the ALink Argerich Foundation, which certifies the quality and integrity of international piano competitions. ClaMo Music has been a member of this foundation since 2017. In 2022, he was invited to Utrecht, Amsterdam, coinciding with the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition, not only as an attendee but also as a lecturer.

Complementing his activities, he organized the successful “Pianos in the Street” initiative in Murcia for six years. To celebrate the 5th ClaMo International Piano Competition, he produced the first video game music concert in Murcia, led by Tommy Tallarico and his team from the USA, featuring a unique setup with the ÖSRM and a choir formed exclusively for the occasion.

Since 2015, Chema Casanova has worked with renowned pianists such as Aquiles Delle Vigne, Boyan Vodenitcharov, Milana Chernyavska, Gabriel Escudero, Pilar Valero, Olivier Cazal, Yves Robes, Vitaly Pisarenko, Tamara Kordzadze, Roland Pröll, Pedro Valero, among others.

In 2018, he was named Pro Musician of the Year by Pro Música Murcia.