violin
Dr. Grace Marín Aguilar is an internationally active, multifaceted Costa Rican/Spanish violinist. Recognized for her versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral leader, and educator, she brings a distinctive voice shaped by both European classical traditions and Latin American musical heritage.
A passionate educator, Dr. Marin has imparted her expertise as professor of violin at the University of Costa Rica and the Costa Rican National Institute of Music. From 2021 to 2025, she was the main Teaching Assistant in the violin studio of Prof. Annie Chalex Boyle at Texas Tech University, where she taught violin, chamber music, and the course Musics of Latin America. She has also served as faculty in several music schools in Spain and at prestigious festivals such as the International Festival of Music in Cobano (Costa Rica) and the Naolinco International Music Festival (Mexico).
Teaming up with pianist and composer Pilar Aguilar, Dr. Marin has played in stages across Spain, England, Austria, France, Costa Rica and Mexico, captivating audiences with their duo performances and album recording “Huellas en el Mar” released under the prestigious Ars Harmónica label. As a founding member of the Cuarteto Hispano, she achieved residency status at the National Theater of Costa Rica in 2015. Marin’s expertise extends to the baroque violin, earning her acclaim as a member of Syntagma Musicum and receiving the Chamber Music National Music Prize in Costa Rica (2013). Their collaborations have been showcased in prominent baroque festivals throughout Central and South America, with notable recordings including “De Aquí y de Allá” and “Convidando Está la Noche” (2020).
Recipient of esteemed awards like the “Andrés Segovia-José Miguel Ruíz Morales” award for violin (2007) and chamber music (2009) from the renowned International Spanish Music Course “Music in Compostela”. As a chamber musician, Dr. Marin has shared stages with eminent musicians such as Agustin Leon Ara, Josep Colom, Enrique Santiago, Kim Walker, Mark Morton, Lisa Garner, Daniel del Pino, Annie Chalex-Boyle, Duo Hypatia, and John Gilbert.
As both concertmaster and soloist, she has performed with orchestras in Spain, the United States, and Costa Rica, notably giving the world premiere of Pilar Aguilar’s Mawanda Concerto for Violin and Orchestra with the Symphony Orchestra of the University of Costa Rica. She has played as a guest violinist in the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, Heredia Symphony Orchestra, the Madrid Academic Orchestra, Abilene Philharmonic, West Texas Symphony, and Amarillo Symphony Orchestras.
Dr. Grace Marín earned her Bachelor’s degree from the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg-Augsburg (Germany) and a Master’s degree in Musical Creation and Interpretation from the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid and her Doctorate of Musical Arts at Thexas Tech University. Dr. Marín is the newly appointed Concertmaster of the Big Spring Symphony Orchestra and Instructor of Musics of Latinamerica at the School of Music of Texas Tech University, a member of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, Syntagma Musicum CR, and ArtBeat, and she continues to work actively as a performer, educator, and researcher.