Daria Ushakova was born in 1997 in Voronezh, Russia. She began playing the violin at the age of five and made her solo debut with orchestra at the age of seven. She graduated from the Central Music School of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (class of A. V. Revich) and continued her studies at the Conservatory itself (class of Associate Professor G. Sh. Murzha). Since October 2025, she has been continuing her studies at the Folkwang University of the Arts in the class of Evgeny Sinaiski.

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At the age of 23, Daria was appointed concertmaster of the State Symphony Orchestra of Moscow under the direction of Ivan Rudin, making her the youngest concertmaster of a professional orchestra in Russia (2021–2024). As a soloist, she has performed multiple times in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.

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She is a laureate of over 20 national and international competitions. In 2018, she was awarded the title of Best Instrumental Student in the educational program of the Diaghilev Festival, under the artistic direction of Teodor Currentzis. Since June 2025, she has been a scholarship recipient of the Werner Richard – Dr. Carl Dörken Foundation.

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Daria's artistic interests lie particularly in contemporary music and performance art. In collaboration with actress Alisa Grebenshchikova, she creates music and sound design for theatrical productions – often based on improvisation. She has premiered numerous works by contemporary composers, both in Russia and internationally. In 2023, composer Vera Petrova dedicated a concert fantasy for violin and piano to her, which was performed to great acclaim at several international festivals.

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In addition to her concert activities, Daria is also active as a teacher. She has been invited to give masterclasses for young musicians in various cities across Russia and has served as a jury member at several competitions.