ABOUT

Praised for her compelling artistry and warmth of expression, Portuguese cellist Mafalda Santos brings to the stage a deep commitment to sharing music and stories with audiences around the world. Equally at home in concert halls, classrooms, and community spaces, she embraces a multifaceted career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and advocate for inclusive musical experiences.

A top prizewinner in over 20 national and international competitions, Mafalda made her solo debut at age fourteen with the FIME Ensemble. Since then, she has performed as a soloist with the Espinho Classical Orchestra, Metropolitan Classical Orchestra, Ensemble Symphony Orchestra, Vigo Symphony Orchestra, and the Peabody Symphony Orchestra. Her performances have taken her to leading venues including Royal Albert Hall, Berliner Philharmoniker, and Casa da Música, as well as concert series such as Shriver Hall and Centro Cultural de Belém’s “Thursdays at 7.” She has been featured in live broadcasts on WQXR and Portugal’s national classical station, Antena 2.

As a chamber musician, Mafalda has recently collaborated with Ani Kavafian, Steven Tenenbom, Amit Peled, Tony Arnold, Seth Knopp, and Maria Lambros, and performed at major festivals such as Four Seasons, Kneisel Hall, Kronberg, Schleswig-Holstein, and SoundSCAPE.

Alongside her solo and chamber music career, Mafalda has recently served as principal and assistant principal cellist with the Portuguese Philharmonic and Yale Philharmonic, and recorded with the Sinfonia of London and Mount Vernon Virtuosi for CTM Classics, Chandos, and Decca.

Mafalda is deeply committed to music’s role in community and social connection. She has created and participated in accessible concert experiences through organizations including Our Joyful Noise, The Musical Autist, Creative Access, Inspired Aging, and If Music Be the Food. From 2021 to 2022, she was Musician in Residence at Edenwald Senior Living Community, offering weekly performances to over 350 residents across memory care and healthcare units. Since 2017, she has been a core member of Mount Vernon Virtuosi, performing widely across the United States.

Beyond performance, Mafalda is a dedicated educator. She serves as Cello Community Lead at tonebase, a leading online education platform for classical musicians, where she curates community-driven programming and supports learners at all levels. She teaches cello and chamber music through workshops and masterclasses across Europe and the US.

Originally from Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, Mafalda is a doctoral candidate at Yale and a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. Her main mentors include Paul Watkins and Amit Peled. She performs on a cello by Jeffrey Muller, generously loaned by The Maestro Foundation.