BEATRICE VALENZUELA is a 13-year old violinist and studies at the New Music School in Chicago, IL with Desirée Ruhstrat of the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University and Timothy Hager. She began playing the violin at the age of three with a 1/32-size instrument and transitioned to a full-size violin in the summer of 2024.
Beatrice is a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO), where she performs in both the Symphony Orchestra and CORE Chamber Orchestra, under Maestro Allen Tinkham. In 2021, during her first season with CYSO, she served as Concertmaster of the Debut Orchestra. Beatrice has also been a fellow of the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative (CMPI) since 2022.
Beatrice has received awards in a variety of local and national competitions and has performed at prestigious venues, including the Grant Park Music Festival, Harris Theater, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall at Northwestern University, and Paul Hall at the Juilliard School. She has also shared the stage with the Piano Guys at the Athenaeum Theater and collaborated with Gustavo Dudamel and the National Children’s Symphony of Venezuela at the Ravinia Festival. In 2023, she participated in the Cuban American Youth Orchestra (CAYO) Student Ambassador program in Havana, Cuba, performing alongside students from the Escuela Nacional de Música and the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory. Recently, she was selected as a fellow of the 2025 Equity Arc Pathways Orchestra, which will perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) at Orchestra Hall in April 2025.
Beatrice has performed in master classes with renowned musicians, including Vadim Gluzman, Arnaud Sussmann, and David Taylor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She served as the understudy for the Young Fiddler in the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s 2022 production of Fiddler on the Roof and also participated in the 2023 production of the opera Jenůfa. To complement her passion for music and the arts, Beatrice also studies voice with Scott Ramsay and music theory and composition with Gonzalo Garrido-Lecca.
An enthusiastic chamber musician, Beatrice also plays cello in her middle school orchestra. Her orchestra regularly participates in events such as the IGSMA (Illinois Grade School Music Association) Festival, the Orchestra Fest hosted by ILASTA (Illinois American String Teachers Association), and performances at Chicago Wolves hockey games.
During recent summers, Beatrice has attended notable music programs, including the Heifetz International Music Institute in Staunton, VA, and the Sphinx Performance Academy at the Juilliard School in New York, NY. In 2024, she was a rising artist at the Ascent Music Festival.
Outside of music, Beatrice trains in horseback riding, focusing on both hunter and jumper styles at Celebration Farm in Lake Forest, IL. She also stays active through alpine skiing, softball and tennis. Proficient in French and Spanish, she is currently in her fourth year of studying German.
Watch Beatrice Valenzuela perform Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22, Mvt III: A La Zingara by Henryk Wieniawski on the violin for the 2025 Winter Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.