María Dueñas (violinist) facts for kids

María Dueñas Fernández, born on December 4, 2002, is a talented Spanish violinist and composer. She is known for her amazing violin skills. In 2021, she won the top prize in the Yehudi Menuhin Competition, which is a very important contest for young violinists. Many people see her as one of the most promising musicians of her time. In 2022, she joined the famous music label Deutsche Grammophon.

Early Life and Education

María Dueñas was born in 2002 in Granada, Spain. Her family were not professional musicians, but they always supported her love for music. She started going to concerts when she was very young.

When she was seven, María began studying at the Ángel Barrios Conservatory in her hometown. At age 11, she earned a special scholarship. This allowed her to study at the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music in Dresden, Germany.

Later, a famous violinist named Vladimir Spivakov suggested she move to Vienna. There, she studied with Boris Kuschnir. She also attended the University of Music and Dramatic Art in Vienna and the University of Graz.

Musical Career Highlights

María Dueñas has performed as a solo artist with many orchestras. These include the San Francisco Symphony and the Spanish National Orchestra. In September 2019, Musical America magazine called her their "New Artist of the Month." This is a big honor from a very old classical music magazine.

In 2021, María won the first prize at the Getting to Carnegie Hall competition. Each person in this contest played a brand new piece for violin and piano. That same year, at just 18 years old, she won the top prize in the Senior Division of the Menuhin Competition. She also won the Audience Prize, which means the audience loved her performance the most!

For the final round of the Menuhin Competition, María played pieces by famous composers like Witold Lutosławski, Mozart, and Lalo. Winning this competition came with a $20,000 prize. She also got to borrow a valuable golden period Stradivarius violin for two years. In 2023, she received the Luitpold Prize at the Kissinger Sommer festival.

María has also won many other important violin competitions:

• In 2017: The 1st Leonid Kogan International Competition for Young Violinists (1st Prize) and the 2nd Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians (1st Prize).
• In 2018: The 4th Yankelevitch International Violin Competition (1st Prize) and the 2nd Vladimir Spivakov International Violin Competition (1st Prize).
• In 2021: The 2nd Viktor Tretyakov International Violin Competition (Grand Prize).

Composing Music

Besides being a violinist, María Dueñas is also a composer. She even started her own group called the Hamamelis Quartett.

When she was only 13, she composed a piece called “Farewell.” This piece won an award at the Robert Schumann International Piano Competition in 2016. Later, a music video was made for her composition. [1]

Recorded Music

María Dueñas has released several recordings. Her first album, "Beethoven and Beyond," came out in 2023. She has also released many singles, which are shorter recordings of individual songs. These recordings are available through Deutsche Grammophon, a well-known classical music label.

Images for kids

• Maria Duenas Violín.jpg

  María Dueñas, 2017

See also

In Spanish: María Dueñas (violinista) para niños