Carnegie Hall

Spanish violinist María Dueñas enchants her audiences with the breathtaking variety of colors she elicits from her instrument, her technical skills, artistic maturity, and bold interpretations.

Born in Granada in 2002, Ms. Dueñas started playing the violin at age six and enrolled in her hometown’s conservatory of music a year later. In 2014, she won a scholarship sponsored by Juventudes Musicales de España and the Humboldt Foundation’s Hezekiah Wardwell Fellowship, and moved to Dresden to study at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber. There she was discovered by conductor Marek Janowski, at whose invitation she later made her debut with the San Francisco Symphony. Since 2016, she has studied with violin teacher Boris Kuschnir at the University of Music and Performing Arts in her adopted hometown of Vienna.

After a series of first prizes at prestigious international competitions, Ms. Dueñas caused a sensation in 2021 at the Menuhin Competition for Young Violinists, where she won first prize and the audience prize. In 2023, she was awarded the prestigious Premio Princesa de Girona Artes in her home country.

The versatile musician, who also is a passionate composer, is now in demand worldwide and has performed with many major orchestras, such asthe Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Munich Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Staatskapelle Berlin, Oslo Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Conductors with whom she has performed include Manfred Honeck, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Paavo Järvi, Daniel Harding, and Herbert Blomstedt. She also regularly collaborates with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel.

An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon recording artist, she released her first album, Beethoven and Beyond with Manfred Honeck and the Vienna Symphony, in 2023 to great critical acclaim. The recording focuses on Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with her own cadenzas.

Ms. Dueñas plays a Nicolò Gagliano violin on loan by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, and the Stradivari “Camposelice” of 1710, loaned to her by the Nippon Music Foundation.

Alexander Malofeev came to international prominence when he won the 2014 International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians at age 13. Reviewing the performance, Amadeus noted, “Contrary to what could be expected of a youngster … he demonstrated not only high technical accuracy but also an incredible maturity. Crystal clear sounds and perfect balance revealed his exceptional ability.” Since this triumph, he has quickly established himself as one of the most prominent pianists of his generation.

Highlights of the 2024–2025 season include Mr. Malofeev’s debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, returns to the Verbier Festival and San Diego Symphony, performances at the Salle Gaveau in Paris and Berliner Philharmonie, recital tours across the US and Asia, and recitals with violinist María Dueñas. He appears with the New World Symphony, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, among others.

Mr. Malofeev performs with some of the most well-known orchestras around the world, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, RAI National Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Korean National Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lille, and many others. He has been a guest of renowned music festivals and series, including the Verbier Festival, Festival International de Piano de La Roque d’Anthéron, Rheingau Musik Festival, Tanglewood, Aspen Music Festival and School, Tsinandali Festival, Master Pianists Series, and Celebrity Series of Boston.

Mr. Malofeev was born in Moscow in 2001 and resides in Berlin. In addition to winning first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, he has won numerous awards and prizes at international competitions and festivals, including Grand Prix at the first International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano Competition and Best Young Musician of 2017 at the Festival Pianistico Internazionale di Brescia e Bergamo. In 2017, he became the first Young Yamaha Artist.