Maria Włoszczowska, violin
Maria Włoszczowska, violin
Maria Włoszczowska is a Polish violinist acclaimed for her versatility, expressive artistry, and thoughtful musicianship. Equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster, and director, she has established herself as one of the most distinctive and engaging performers of her generation.
Maria began the 2022/23 season with a major milestone: her BBC Proms solo debut, performing Kaija Saariaho’s Vers toi qui es si loin with the Royal Northern Sinfonia under Dinis Sousa. As Leader of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, she regularly directs programmes from the violin, blending leadership and performance with natural musical authority. Highlights have included directing and performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, which showcases both her technical mastery and her deep interpretive insight.
Her international presence continues to grow. She makes her Hong Kong debut at the Musicus Festival, and this season also joins the violin faculty at Yellow Barn, Vermont — a renowned hub for creative musical exploration. As a recitalist, Maria gave her New York debut at 92NY, performing all six Bach Sonatas for violin and keyboard with pianist Jeremy Denk. Their musical partnership continues this season with performances at the Lammermuir Festival.
Maria Włoszczowska appears regularly at Wigmore Hall and is a frequent guest at major international festivals, including Musikdorf Ernen, IMS Prussia Cove, Yellow Barn, and Lammermuir Festival. Her chamber music partners include a remarkable roster of artists such as Thomas Adès, Alasdair Beatson, Philippe Graffin, Bengt Forsberg, Benjamin Grosvenor, Steven Isserlis, Steven Osborne, Hyeyoon Park, Timothy Ridout, and the Doric String Quartet. These collaborations reflect both her artistic curiosity and her commitment to high-level ensemble playing.
In 2023, Maria Włoszczowska founded the Valo Quartet, which she leads. The ensemble made its debut in Brussels under the auspices of Festival Resonances, drawing acclaim for its dynamic and sensitive interpretations.
A major facet of Maria’s artistic identity is her work with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, one of the world’s most respected chamber orchestras. Alongside her guest appearances as concertmaster, she now also serves as an Artistic Director with the orchestra, helping shape its artistic vision while continuing to perform in a leadership role. She has also worked as guest leader with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras across the UK and her native Poland.
This season, she returns to Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, appearing as soloist with Reinhard Goebel and the Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum, bringing her deep affinity for historically informed performance into focus.
Maria has received several major awards, including the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Emily Anderson Prize, the Hattori Foundation Senior Award, and Poland’s Minister of Culture and National Heritage Prize. In 2018, she was awarded both First Prize and the Audience Prize at the XXI Leipzig International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition, a recognition of her deep connection to Bach’s music and her poetic, intelligent playing.
She studied with András Keller at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where she developed a refined and distinctive voice under the mentorship of one of Europe’s great violinists and conductors.
Maria Włoszczowska plays on a Francesco Stradivari violin, whose warm, expressive tone perfectly complements her nuanced and deeply communicative playing. With a growing international reputation and a passionate commitment to musical exploration, she continues to shape a multifaceted career that brings together solo performance, chamber music, orchestral leadership, and artistic direction at the highest level.