A musical highlight

Spanish violinist María Dueñas and Semyon Bychkov, chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, will perform at this year’s Nobel Prize Concert on 8 December. Together with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, they will perform music by Bryce Dessner, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and Antonín Dvořák.

María Dueñas

Spanish violinist María Dueñas is still in the beginning of her career, but has quickly established herself as one of the brightest shining stars in the classical music field, including cooperations with conductors such as Manfred Honeck, Herbert Blomstedt, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Gustavo Dudamel.

“To perform in Stockholm for the Nobel Prize laureates is a profound honour,” says María Dueñas. “Standing before those who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge, I am reminded that music, like the Nobel vision, seeks to transcend boundaries, unveil the unseen, and unite us in our common humanity. I am deeply grateful to contribute my voice to this moment of shared inspiration.”

Read more about María Dueñas

Semyon Bychkov

Multiple award-winning and internationally renowned Semyon Bychkov is the chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. Bychkov was born in the Soviet Union and is now an American citizen, emigrating to the United States in his 20s. Bychkov has worked with the world’s leading orchestras and opera houses, and was previously music director of Orchestre de Paris, chief conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne and of the Dresden Semperoper.

Read more about Semyon Bychkov

Concert programme

The concert programme includes the much-loved Ninth Symphony From the New World, written by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák during his time as a professor of composition in the US.

The opening work Mari by the American composer Bryce Dessner took shape during solitary walks in the French countryside in the pandemic years – a musical meditation on the transience of life. Dessner has dedicated the piece to Semyon Bychkov and even incorporated a melody from Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony.

María Dueñas will perform Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Violin Concerto in E minor, composed for his childhood friend and violin virtuoso Ferdinand David. 

Programme:

Bryce Dessner – Mari
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy – Violin Concerto in E minor
Antonín Dvořák – Ninth Symphony From the New World

The Nobel Prize Concert will be live-streamed on Swedish Radio, Sveriges Radio P2. It can be seen on nobelprize.org and the Nobel Prize YouTube channel on 11 December.

The Nobel Prize Concert is an annual concert that is part of the Nobel Week official programme celebrating that year’s Nobel Prize laureates. The concert is presented by Nobel Prize Outreach in collaboration with Konserthuset Stockholm.

Previous Nobel Prize concerts

The first concert was held in 2005. Read more about previous concerts here