María Dueñas

Spanish violinist María Dueñas has emerged as a distinctive voice in the constellation of contemporary classical music. Her extraordinary palette of tonal colors, impeccable technical command, and fearless expressivity have captivated audiences and critics alike. The New York Times has praised her ability to breathe “new life into familiar works.”

An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, she released her debut album Beethoven and Beyond in 2023, which received the prestigious Opus Klassik Award the following year. Her second album for the label, released in 2025 and devoted to Paganini’s legendary 24 Caprices, won the Instrumental Award at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards and earned her the title of Young Artist of the Year — with critics praising her “luminously radiant and golden‑toned” interpretations. These achievements add to an impressive constellation of honors, including first prizes at the Yehudi Menuhin Competition and the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition. Her artistry has also been recognized by the BBC, which named her a New Generation Artist, as well as by the Princess of Girona Award for Arts and Letters and the Gold Medal for Merit from the City of Granada.

Dueñas has collaborated with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, from the Los Angeles Philharmonic to the Staatskapelle Berlin, under the baton of renowned conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel and Christian Thielemann. Her collaboration with the Los Angeles Philharmonic included the world premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’s violin concerto Altar de Cuerda, whose recording received three GRAMMY Awards in 2025.

A multifaceted artist, Dueñas is also active as a composer, with works including Homage 1770 and Farewell. Her artistic versatility led her to portray the violinist Kathleen Parlow in Bohdanowicz’s film Measures for a Funeral, through which she rediscovered the long-lost score of Johan Halvorsen’s Violin Concerto, Op. 28. She later performed the work with the Orchestre Métropolitain under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Highlights of the 2025–2026 season include her debut with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival alongside conductor Karina Canellakis, performances with the New York Philharmonic, the Nobel Prize Concert with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Semyon Bychkov, and a tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Another milestone will be her debut with Zubin Mehta and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra during the celebrations marking the maestro’s 90th birthday.

María Dueñas performs on a 1779 Giambattista Guadagnini violin on loan from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, as well as the 1718 Stradivarius “Michelangelo,” generously loaned by the Karolina Blaberg Foundation.