Marin Alsop, conductor / María Dueñas, violin

Gramophone’s Young Artist and Instrumentalist of the Year for 2025, María Dueñas makes her CSO and Ravinia debuts joining Marin Alsop for Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, lending “memorable, highly individual” flair with “bold, languorously romantic” (The Strad) self-penned cadenzas.

In only a few seasons, Dueñas has emerged as a luminous talent in classical music, captivating audiences with her extraordinary range of tonal colors, impeccable technical prowess, and interpretations that blend artistic maturity with bold expressiveness. The New York Times praises her ability to breathe "new life into well-known pieces," proclaiming her to be a "violinist who has something to say, and the skill to say it brilliantly." Her debut album, Beethoven and Beyond (2023) showcases Dueñas’s remarkable musical agility and interpretative skills, presenting an exquisite artistry which promises to be on full display at Ravinia.

Continuing in this celebration of Beethoven, Alsop sets out the rustic tranquility of Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony, where storm music swirls and brightly passes with Midwestern energy and grace. Together, Dueñas and Alsop illuminate two sides of Beethoven—virtuosic brilliance and symphonic serenity—in a debut performance not to be missed.

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