Violinist Maria Duenas, one of the most closely watched young performers in classical music, will make her Korean debut this week. Born in 2002, Duenas has drawn invitations from major stages worldwide, showing talent not only in performance but also in composition and acting.
"I am very excited to be visiting Korea for the first time," Duenas said in a recent email interview. "I want to taste Korean food and experience the city outside the concert hall, walking slowly like a local." An avid reader, she added that she likes the works of Han Kang. Asked about Korean musicians, she said she recently had the chance to meet violinist Clara-Jumi Kang, whom she deeply admires, and that she would love to work with conductor Chung Myung-whun someday. Duenas will perform at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on the 11th and at the Tongyeong Concert Hall on the 13th.
After winning first prize at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in 2021, she has performed with leading orchestras around the world. For her Korean engagements, she will play the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Luxembourg Philharmonic under fellow Spaniard Gustavo Gimeno.
She will also perform a cadenza she wrote herself. A cadenza is an improvisatory passage within a concerto that showcases the soloist's technique, and it is usually written by the composer. Brahms, however, left the task to Joseph Joachim, the leading violinist of his day who premiered the work, and Joachim's cadenza remains the most widely played today. Duenas also performs her own cadenzas in the Mozart and Beethoven concertos. "The cadenza is a special moment when you are alone with the audience and, in a sense, with the composer," she said. "There is real freedom in that moment, and I enjoy the chance to make that space my own."
Composing has also changed the way she looks at classical works. "By writing something myself, I have come to look more closely at the decisions composers made within their works," she said, adding that she hopes to take on not only chamber works but also a violin concerto.
She has expanded her work beyond music as well. In 2024, she appeared in the Canadian independent film "Measures for a Funeral" as a violinist named Elisa. The film explores the life and music of Kathleen Parlow, a Canadian violinist who was active in the early 20th century but long forgotten. Duenas described the role as a kind of tribute to a great female violinist.
Her musical roots lie in her native Spain. Raised in Granada, Duenas said Spain has a culture closely tied to rhythm, color, drama and improvisation. "I grew up in a culture where music and emotion are very closely connected, and a direct, intense way of expression is part of me," she said.
Asked what kind of performer she hopes to be in 20 years, she pointed to a sound of her own. "I am always thinking about my own individuality and about finding something truthful within every work," she said. "I want to be a violinist with a style that sets me apart and a distinctive sound that anyone can recognize."
As a leading performer of her generation, she also shared her thoughts on how classical music can reach listeners her own age. "Rather than assuming in advance that young people are not interested in classical music, we need to make classical music something they encounter more often in daily life," she said. "Social media certainly helps, but it is not a perfect answer." She added, "In the end, nothing can replace the experience of sitting in a concert hall and hearing the music for yourself."
