Barbara de Menezes Galante was born in 1990 in São Paulo, Brazil, into a family of musicians. At the age of six, she began her violin studies, first with Adriana Schincariol and later with Elisa Fukuda. In 2009, she accepted an invitation from Prof. Lavard Skou-Larsen to move to Austria, where she began her bachelor's studies at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.
From 2010 to 2018, she studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW), first with Prof. Anton Sorokow and from 2015 with Prof. Edward Zienkowski, with whom she completed her studies, earning the title Magistra artium. She additionally attended masterclasses with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Glenn Dicterow, Igor Ozim, Pavel Vernikov, Christian Altenburger, and Michael Frischenschlager.
Chamber music has always been a central part of Barbara's artistic career. In the same year she moved to Austria, she became a member of the international ensemble Salzburg Chamber Soloists, with whom she performed across Europe, Asia, and North and South America. She was also invited by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to participate in the Ossiach Orchestra Academy. From 2013 to 2024, she was a member of the Vienna-based Auner Quartet, with whom she performed throughout Europe, South Africa, and North and South America.
In 2014, Barbara was awarded the Eleazar de Carvalho Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for classical musicians in Brazil. Since then, she has been regularly invited as a soloist and guest lecturer at various institutions, performing under internationally acclaimed conductors such as Isaac Karabtchevsky and Marin Alsop.
Since 2022, Barbara has been frequently engaged as concertmaster with leading Brazilian orchestras, including the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP), the Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra.
In 2021, Barbara founded the Essenz Trio — an unusual combination of violin, accordion, and double bass, whose repertoire blends classical works with world music. In 2022, the trio released its debut album entitled Triálogo.
Barbara currently serves as a professor of violin and chamber music at the Friedrich Gulda Music School in Vienna. Since 2021, she has also been involved in social projects in Brazil in collaboration with the Viajart Foundation, where she directs the Camerata Viajart ensemble, dedicated to bringing Brazilian classical music to European audiences.
Barbara de Menezes Galante plays a violin by Julia Maria Pasch, is an endorsement artist of Thomastik-Infeld, and uses Peter Infeld violin strings.