María Dueñas

Spanish violinist María Dueñas has emerged as a distinctive voice in the constellation of contemporary classical music. Her extraordinary palette of tonal colours, 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.”

Holding an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, her third album, “Homage to Heifetz” – recorded with Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela – has been praised by the critic. Her discography also includes “Beethoven and Beyond”, winner of the Opus Klassik Award, and “Paganini 24 Caprices”, which earned her “Young Artist and Instrumentalist of the Year” at the 2025 Gramophone Classical Music Awards. 

A globally recognized soloist distinguished at some of the world's leading violin competitions, including the Menuhin Competition, the Vladimir Spivakov International Violin Competition, and the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition, her artistry has been prized by leading institutions such as the BBC New Generation Artist, the Rheingau Musik Festival, the Princess of Girona Arts and Letters Award and the Academy of Music. 

She performs with the world's foremost orchestras – among them the Vienna Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, San Francisco Symphony and Chicago Symphony Orchestra – collaborating with conductors including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Christian Thielemann and Gustavo Dudamel. Her longstanding partnership with Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic includes the world premiere of Gabriela Ortiz's "Altar de Cuerda", recorded on the GRAMMY-winning “Revolución diamantina”.

Her artistry extends beyond the concert platform. In 2024 she starred in the film “Measures for a Funeral”, introducing Johan Halvorsen's long-lost Violin Concerto op. 28 through her performance with the Orchestre Métropolitain under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. An active chamber musician, she partners with Yo-Yo Ma, Renaud Capuçon and Matthias Goerne, and also composes, with works including “Homage 1770” for solo violin, published by Ricordi.

Highlights of the 2026/27 season include performances with the Bamberg Symphony under Jakub Hrůša, the Philharmonia Orchestra under Santtu-Matias Rouvali and a return to Staatskapelle Berlin under Christian Thielemann. She continues her artistic collaboration with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Métropolitain. The season is further marked by several major international tours in South Korea and Taiwan with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and Gustavo Gimeno. Together with the Camerata Salzburg, María Dueñas makes her South American debut. 

María Dueñas plays the 1779 Giambattista Guadagnini violin from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and the Antonio Stradivarius “Michelangelo” (1718), on loan from the Karolina Blaberg Foundation.