Eva León facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eva León
León in 2013
Background information
Born	Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	Violinist
Years active	1990-Present

Eva León is a talented Spanish violinist who lives in New York. She is known for her amazing performances.

In 2006, Eva won a big award called the 33rd Artists International Annual Debut Prize in New York. Soon after, she played her first concert at the famous Carnegie Hall. She also won the top prize at the Michaelangelo Abbado International Violin Competition.

Early Life and Learning Music

Eva León was born and grew up in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which is in the Canary Islands of Spain. Her parents loved music very much. She went to her first concert when she was only 3 years old! Eva started playing the violin when she was 8.

When she was 13, Eva moved away from her family. She went to Barcelona to keep studying the violin with a teacher named Xavier Turull. She also learned from other famous violinists like Ruggiero Ricci and Oleg Krysa. Eva received scholarships, which are like special grants, to help her continue her studies. In 2000, she moved to New York to learn from Neil Weintrob. She earned her Master of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music.

Her Amazing Violin Career

Eva León began performing professionally when she was just 15 years old. By age 18, she had won the Juventudes Musicales competition in Spain. At 20, she played her first concert at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona.

Eva has performed in many places around the world. These include the United States, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. She has also recorded music for TV and radio, including for Japanese, American, and Spanish national TV. Eva has played with many different orchestras, like the Boston Classical Orchestra and the Mexico State Symphony Orchestra. She has worked with famous conductors too.

In 2006, Eva made her big debut at Carnegie Hall. In 2009, she played Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in Boston with the Boston Classical Orchestra. She was also a special guest at the Knox-Galesburg Symphony's 60th anniversary concert in 2009. In 2012, Eva performed with The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra for a Valentine's Day concert.

Eva is inspired by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. She often performs pieces by the Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate.

Recordings and Albums

Eva León recorded her first CD in 1996. It featured music by composers like Grieg and Sarasate. In 2009, she released her first CD for Naxos. This made her the first Spanish violinist to record violin music with them. She now has a special contract to record many albums with Naxos. She will also release recordings of music by Xavier Montsalvatge and Joaquín Rodrigo.

In 2011, Eva was featured on a CD called Consuelo Colomer by Klassic Cat Records.

Awards and Special Honors

Eva León has won many important awards for her violin playing:

• Michaelangelo Abbado International Violin Competition – She won the top prize.
• 33rd Artists International Annual Debut Prize in New York – She was the winner.
• Maria Canals International Music Competition – She was a laureate (a special winner).
• “Amics de Joan Massiá” Violin Competition – She won this and also the award for best performance of his work.
• Juventudes Musicales of Spain – She was the winner.
• Ciudad de Soria Violin Competition – She was the winner.

See also

In Spanish: Eva León (violinista) para niños