Spanish violinist María Dueñas has emerged as a luminous talent in classical music, captivating audiences with her extraordinary range of tonal colours, impeccable technical prowess, and interpretations that blend artistic maturity with bold expressiveness. The New York Times praised her ability to breathe "new life into well-known pieces" and described her as a "22-year-old violinist who has something to say, and the skill to say it brilliantly".  

Her meteoric rise led to an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, a significant milestone in her burgeoning career. María Dueñas' debut album, Beethoven and Beyond, released in 2023, showcased her remarkable interpretation of Beethoven's violin concerto, featuring cadenzas composed by herself. This recording, made with the Wiener Symphoniker under Manfred Honeck, earned her the prestigious Opus Klassik award as Young Artist of the Year in 2024, adding to an extraordinary array of grand and first prizes at international competitions, including the Senior Division of the Menuhin Competition, the Vladimir Spivakov International Violin Competition and the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition. Her unique interpretative approach has also been recognized by the Rheingau Music Festival, BBC Radio 3 and the Princess of Girona Arts and Letters Award. February 2025 marked the release of her second Deutsche Grammophon album, an ambitious project centered around Paganini's legendary 24 Caprices and works inspired by Paganini from composers spanning from Berlioz to contemporary artists. 

Establishing herself as a globally recognized soloist, she has already collaborated with the world’s leading orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Staatskapelle Dresden, Oslo Philharmonic, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Munich Philharmonic, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Bamberger Symphoniker, Wiener Symphoniker, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Paris, alongside a constellation of esteemed conductors including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Herbert Blomstedt, Christian Thielemann, Marin Alsop, Christoph Eschenbach, Manfred Honeck, Kent Nagano, Marek Janowski, Daniel Harding, Alain Altinoglu, Alan Gilbert, Cristian Măcelaru, Paavo Järvi, Vasily Petrenko, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Vladimir Spivakov, Gustavo Gimeno and Jukka-Pekka Saraste, among others.

Her strong artistic partnership with Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel has yielded several notable achievements, such as performances at the Hollywood Bowl's 100th Anniversary celebration, the world premiere of Gabriela Ortiz's violin concerto Altar de Cuerda with concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall, on tour in Barcelona, Paris and London, and sold-out premieres at Carnegie Hall and in Boston. The recording of this work is part of the album Revolución diamantina which won three GRAMMY Awards in 2025.

A versatile artist with a remarkable passion for composition, the creative endeavors of María Dueñas include Homage 1770, a piece for solo violin inspired by her debut album and Beethoven's legacy, Farewell, a solo piano piece, and cadenzas for most of the violin concerto repertoire. In August 2024, she released Julian Lawrence Gargiulo's Sonata No. 4 From the Window for Deutsche Grammophon, showcasing her commitment to contemporary music. As a chamber musician, she has forged significant artistic collaborations with highly respected partners, such as baritone Matthias Goerne, pianist Itamar Golan, and violinist Renaud Capuçon.

Her remarkable fusion of classical tradition and contemporary innovation led her to play the reincarnation of Kathleen Parlow in the film Measures for a Funeral by Sofia Bohdanowicz, rediscovering Johan Halvorsen's long-lost violin concerto op. 28. This masterpiece was brought to life in a stunning performance with the Orchestre Métropolitain under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, which premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival.

Highlights of the past season included a tour of Japan with Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Paavo Järvi, performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, a return to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Manfred Honeck, her debuts with Staatskapelle Dresden under Andrés Orozco-Estrada und Staatskapelle Berlin under Christian Thielemann, a concert at the Tanglewood Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons as well as recitals with pianist Alexander Malofeev at the Carnegie Hall, at Pierre Boulez Saal Berlin, and at the Salzburg and Edinburgh Festivals.  

In the 2025-2026 season, María Dueñas' schedule continues to brim with high-profile engagements, such as the continuation of her collaboration with the Philadlephia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, a tour of Europe mit Sir Antonio Pappano and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe as well has her performance at the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm together with Semyon Bychkov. She will give her debuts with the Vienna Philharmonic under Karina Canellakis at the Salzburg Mozart Week and with the New York Philharmonic under her long-standing artistic partner Manfred Honeck.  Another milestone in her career will be the celebration of Maestro Zubin Mehta's 90th birthday together with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, with concerts in Madrid and Barcelona in February 2026.

María Dueñas performs on a Nicolò Gagliano violin from 17?4, on loan from Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.

This biography may not be published in edited/abbreviated form without prior consent of KünstlerSekretariat am Gasteig.