Marisa Ponce de León

Marisa Ponce de León began her musical studies with piano, later choosing the flute as her professional path. From 1997 to 2008, the Conservatory of Querétaro and the School of Fine Arts became her second home. She won first prize at Mexico’s most prestigious National Flute Competitions in 2003, 2006, and 2007, and third prize in 2013. After graduating from the University of Veracruz with the highest marks under the guidance of renowned flutist Natalia Valderrama, she was invited as a guest artist with the National Symphony Orchestra and later became principal flutist of the Chiapas Symphony Orchestra, professor, and co-founder of the Wind Academy at the University of Sciences and Arts of Chiapas (2011–2016). Her interest in contemporary music shaped her master’s project at the University of Aveiro: “Mysticism and Musical Performance: An Interpretative Proposal of Solo Flute Pieces by Mario Lavista and Toru Takemitsu”, a combination of Western classical music with meditative and therapeutic instruments. This project was brought to life through performances by the ensemble Sidereae Nunciae, which she founded and is an active member of. Recently, she took part in the Time of Music Festival in Viitasaari (Finland), performing works by Kaija Saariaho under the guidance of flutist Camilla Hoitenga and composer Saariaho.