Mafalda Santos
Mafalda Santos | |
|---|---|
 Mafalda Santos holding the Cello | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1998 (age 27–28) Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal |
| Occupation(s) | Classical cellist, educator, researcher |
| Instruments | Cello |
Mafalda Sofia Teixeira dos Santos (born 1998) is a Portuguese classical cellist, researcher, and educator. She has won over twenty national and international music competitions and has performed at major venues including Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Berliner Philharmonie.[1] She is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at Yale University and serves as the Cello Community Lead at Tonebase.[2]
Early life and education
Santos was born in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. She began playing the violin at age three but switched to the cello at age seven.[1] She studied at the Conservatório Regional de Música de Gaia, Academia de Música de Paços de Brandão, Escola Profissional de Música de Espinho, and Escola Profissional Metropolitana in Lisbon. Her primary teachers in Portugal included Daniela Brito, Raquel Andrade, Nuno Abreu, and Paulo Gaio Lima.[1][3]
In 2017, she moved to the United States to study at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University under Amit Peled on a full scholarship.[1] At Peabody, she earned a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance with a minor in Musicology (2021) and a Master of Music (2022).[1] Upon her undergraduate graduation, she received the Peabody Alumni Award for the highest cumulative GPA and the Azalia H. Thomas Prize for the highest GPA in Music Theory.[4]
She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the Yale School of Music under Paul Watkins.[2][5] In 2024, she was awarded the Friedmann Thesis Prize for distinguished research and original perspective in her doctoral thesis.[6]
Career
Santos made her solo debut at age 14 with the FIME Ensemble. She has since performed as a soloist with the Espinho Classical Orchestra, Metropolitan Classical Orchestra, Ensemble Symphony Orchestra, Vigo Symphony Orchestra, and the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, with whom she performed Elgar's Cello Concerto after winning the Yale Gordon Competition.[1]
She has appeared at prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Berliner Philharmonie, Casa da Música, and Centro Cultural de Belém.[1] Her career has been highlighted in publications such as The Strad.[7] As a chamber musician, she has collaborated with artists such as Ani Kavafian, Steven Tenenbom, and Tony Arnold, and performed at festivals including Kneisel Hall, Kronberg Academy, and Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.[2]
In 2025, she participated in the 32nd tour of Orquestra XXI and began a trial for the position of Section Leader (Principal Cello) with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast.[8]
Recording credits
Santos has recorded as a section cellist with the Sinfonia of London for labels such as Chandos and Decca. Her credits include:
- Kenneth Hesketh: Cello Concerto No. 2 (with Sheku Kanneh-Mason)[9]
- William Walton: Symphony No. 1[9]
Community engagement and education
Santos is a proponent of the "Citizen Artist" model, focusing on music's role in social advocacy. She co-founded "Storytelling, Storyplaying," a concert series integrating literature and music for public schools, which was funded by a $5,000 Peabody Launch Grant in 2020.[10]
From 2021 to 2022, she was the Musician-in-Residence at the Edenwald Senior Living Community in Maryland, where she provided weekly performances and community programming for over 350 residents.[2][11] She also helped pioneer the Sensory Friendly Performance Project at Peabody, designing concerts for neurodivergent audiences.
She serves as the Cello Community Lead at Tonebase, curating educational content and hosting livestreams for a global community of cellists.[12][13] Additionally, she works with the Boulanger Initiative to expand their database of gender-marginalized composers.[2]
Awards and recognition
Santos has received over 20 international awards. Notable accolades include:
- 1st Prize, Marília Rocha Cello Competition (Age 10)[1]
- 2nd Prize, Rising Stars Grand Prix Berlin (2016)[14]
- Prizewinner, London Grand Prize Virtuoso (2016)[15]
- 1st Prize, Yale Gordon Competition for Orchestral Bowed Strings (2018); first freshman in Peabody history to win this award[1]
- Presser Undergraduate Scholar (2020)[1]
- Johns Hopkins President’s Commendation for Achievement in the Arts (2021)[16]
- Grace Clagett Ranney Prize in Chamber Music (2021)[17]
- Friedmann Thesis Prize, Yale School of Music (2024)[6]
- Plank Music Residency, Ucross Foundation (2024)[6]
- Auer-von-Welsbach-Preises, International Masterclass Althofen (2025)[8]
Instruments
Santos performs on a cello by modern luthier Jeffrey Muller, on loan from The Maestro Foundation.[2] She previously performed on a 1790 William Forster cello loaned by the Peabody Institute.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 "MAFALDA SANTOS". Vivace Music Foundation. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Mafalda Santos – Artist Biography". tonebase Voice. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Mafalda Santos e Alexei Eremine | 19 Janeiro 19h00". Antena 2 - RTP. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "2021 Azalia H. Thomas Prizes and the Peabody Alumni Award Announced". Peabody Institute. May 28, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "School of Music 2023–2024 | Bulletin of Yale University" (PDF). Yale University. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Prizes awarded at annual Honors Banquet". Yale School of Music. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Mafalda Santos cello | The Strad May 2019 and Degrees 2019-20 supplement". Pocketmags. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "FICHA TÉCNICA" (PDF). Heyzine. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Sinfonia of London: Online Concert Programme | Sun 13 October 2024". Bristol Beacon. October 13, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Launch Grant". Peabody Institute. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Goucher College and Edenwald Senior Living University Retirement Community". Goucher College. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Mafalda Santos | tonebase Coaching". tonebase. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Upcoming Live Stream Events / Breakthrough Gifts / Events / People / Recordings". Constant Contact. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Winners 2016". Rising Stars Grand Prix. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "about". Grand Prize Virtuoso Competition. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Three graduating seniors receive arts prizes". The Hub. Johns Hopkins University. May 26, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Three graduating seniors receive arts prizes". Hopkins at Home. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
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