The Strad describes her as “an artist who takes risks.” Isabel Villanueva is one of the most distinctive and transformative violists on today’s classical music scene. With a career spanning over fifteen years and performances in more than twenty-five countries, she has established herself as an artist who challenges the traditional boundaries of the instrument, projecting a unique voice full of sensitivity, courage, and authenticity. Pizzicato Magazine defines her as “a sensitive artist who knows how to dive into the deepest depths of music.”

At the age of 18, she made her acclaimed debut performing Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto with the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has appeared as a soloist across a wide repertoire—from the Baroque to contemporary works—with prestigious ensembles such as the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (Gubaidulina), Moscow Soloists (Mozart), Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra (Bartók), Jalisco Philharmonic (Berlioz), Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela (Bartók), Lebanese Philharmonic (Khoury), St. Petersburg Capella (Bruch), Zagreb Soloists (Paganini, Weber), National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia (Britten, Bruch), RTVE Symphony Orchestra (Walton, Bartók), Navarre Symphony Orchestra (Walton, Berlioz), Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra (Bartók), Oviedo Filarmonía (Walton), Real Filharmonía de Galicia (Walton), Málaga Philharmonic (Walton, Bartók), Córdoba Orchestra (García-Abril), ADDA Symphony Orchestra of Alicante (García-Abril), Murcia Region Orchestra (Mozart), JORCAM (Paganini, Weber), and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra (Mozart), among others. She has worked under conductors such as Michel Plasson, Paul Daniel, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jorge Mester, Christian Vásquez, Lior Shambadal, Andres Mustonen, and Rodolfo Saglimbeni.

In the 2025–2026 season, highlights include Penderecki’s Viola Concerto with the Orquestra de València at Les Arts, Martinů’s Rhapsody-Concerto with the Zacatecas State Orchestra in Mexico, Bartók’s Viola Concerto with the Córdoba Orchestra, and Pēteris Vasks’ Viola Concerto with Kamerata Kastellar.

She has performed in renowned halls and festivals such as Wigmore Hall, Musée d’Orsay, Berlin Konzerthaus, Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonia, Budapest Music Center, Estonia Concert Hall, Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima, National Theatre of Costa Rica, Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, Rottweil Festival, Société de Musique La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Royal Court Theatre in Copenhagen, Slovenian Philharmonic Hall, Palau de la Música Catalana, Schubertíada de Vilabertrán, Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, Teatro Centrale di Sanremo, Bilbao Philharmonic Society, San Sebastián Musical Fortnight, Santander International Festival, and Roudaki Hall in Iran, where in 2013 she became the first international violist invited to perform as a soloist.

Her commitment to contemporary music is reflected in more than twenty premieres and collaborations with composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina — who invited her to perform Two Paths as soloist at the gala celebrating her 80th birthday at the Grand Philharmonic Hall of St. Petersburg — György Kurtág, Antón García-Abril, José Zárate, Golfam Khayam, Mauricio Sotelo, and Houtaf Khoury. Her solo album Ritual (2023), which includes several works by Kurtág, was nominated for the 2024 International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) in the “Best Instrumental Soloist” category. In 2024, she presented the American premiere of García-Abril’s Cantos de Ordesa for viola and orchestra with the Heredia Symphony Orchestra (Costa Rica), whose world premiere recording is scheduled for 2026.

Chamber music is a central part of her artistic activity. Isabel regularly collaborates with leading performers such as François Dumont, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Olivier Charlier, Tedi Papavrami, Victor Julien-Laferrière, Daniel Schnyder, Leonard Elschenbroich, Astrig Siranossian, Rafael Aguirre, and Iddo Bar-Shaï, as well as renowned quartets such as the Prazak and Parisii.

She has received numerous awards, including the El Ojo Crítico Award from RNE (2015), the Cultura Comunidad de Madrid Award (2019), the MIN Award for Best Classical Album of the Year (2018) for her debut recording Bohèmes, the Albert Lullin Prize from the City of Geneva, and the Diploma di Merito from the Accademia Chigiana, among others.

Isabel Villanueva is Professor of Viola at three prestigious institutions: the Royal College of Music in London, the Conservatori Superior del Liceu in Barcelona, and the Conservatoire Populaire de Genève in Switzerland. She also gives masterclasses regularly throughout Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Born in Pamplona, Isabel Villanueva began her musical journey playing the guitar at the age of five and started studying viola at nine. She trained in London, Siena, and Geneva with masters Igor Sulyga, Lawrence Power, Yuri Bashmet, and Nobuko Imai.

Villanueva plays an Enrico Catenar viola (Turin, 1670) and uses Thomastik-Infeld strings.