Margarita Balanas (born 30 September 1993) is a

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

n concert

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

and conductor.

Career

Balanas won her first international competition at age eight, and made her concert debut in London at

Wigmore Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadin ...

at age 17. She has performed at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

in London, and at

Corum Corum may refer to: People * Gene Corum (1921-2010), American football coach * James Corum, American military historian * Lora L. Corum (1899-1949), American racecar driver Places * Çorum, city in Turkey; capital of Çorum Province * Çorum Pr ...

as part of the

Festival de Radio France et Montpellier The Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, formerly the Festival de Radio France et de Montpellier, is a summer festival of opera and music held in Montpellier, France created in 1985. The music festival concentrates on classical music and j ...

with her sister

Kristine Balanas Kristīne Balanas (born May 8, 1990) is a Latvian violinist who is a laureate of many international violin competitions. Early life and education Balanas received her first violin lessons at the age of seven with Olita Meldere. She later attende ...

. Balanas has appeared as a soloist with

Iași "Moldova" Philharmonic Orchestra The Moldova Philharmonic Orchestra ( ro, Filarmonica Moldova Iași) is a Romanian symphony orchestra located in Iași, Romania. The name "Moldova" in the title refers to the historical region of Moldavia. History During the 18 and 19th century, ...

, conducted by Gabriel Bebeselea. Appearing with Carlos Izcaray conducting the Orquestra Sinfonica do Porto

Casa da Música The Casa da Música is a concert hall in Porto, Portugal. It was designed by architect Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2005. Designed to mark the festive year of 2001 in which the city of Porto was designated European Capital of Culture, it was the ...

, she performed

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

’s

Variations on a Rococo Theme The ''Variations on a Rococo Theme'',; in russian: Вариации на тему рококо. Op. 33, for cello and orchestra was the closest Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a full concerto for cello and orchestra. The style was ins ...

in 2015. She performed with

Lynn Harrell Lynn Harrell (January 30, 1944 – April 27, 2020) was an American classical cellist. Known for the "penetrating richness" of his sound, Harrell performed internationally as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with major orchestras o ...

at the Adelaide International Cello Festival in 2014. Her playing was favorably noted. In 2018 she performed with the

Orchestra of St John's The Orchestra of St John's is an orchestra in the United Kingdom, founded in 1967 by John Lubbock. Originally called the Orchestra of St John's Smith Square, it was named after St John's, Smith Square in central London. The Orchestra has worked w ...

, conducted by John Lubbock at

Ashmolean Museum The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology () on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of ...

Proms. In 2019, she and her sister performed at

The Alpine Fellowship The Alpine Fellowship is a charitable foundation that supports, commissions and showcases artists, writers, academics and playwrights. It was founded in 2013 by artist Alan J Lawson and Jacob Burda. The Symposium The focal point of activities ...

annual symposium. Balanas was selected by

Gautier Capuçon With Jean-Claude Casadesus Gautier Capuçon (born 3 September 1981) is a French cellist. Biography Gautier Capuçon was born in Chambéry, Savoie, the youngest of three siblings. His brother is the violinist Renaud Capuçon. He started learni ...

for the "Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle" at the

Fondation Louis Vuitton The Louis Vuitton Foundation ( French: ''Fondation d'entreprise Louis-Vuitton''), previously Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation (''Fondation Louis-Vuitton pour la création''), is a French art museum and cultural center sponsored by the group L ...

with performances broadcast on

Medici.tv Medici.tv (stylized as medici.tv), created in 2008, is a video streaming platform for classical music, jazz, and ballet. Live events With 150+ live events each year, medici.tv live streams performances by various artists, ensembles and orche ...

Instruments

Balanas plays a Charles-Adolphe Gand ‘ Auguste Tolbecque 1849 cello. Her former instruments include Nicolo Gagliano and

Giovanni Battista Rogeri Giovanni Battista Rogeri (ca. 1642 – ca. 1710) was an Italian luthier, who for much of his mature life worked in Brescia. Together with Gasparo da Salò and Giovanni Paolo Maggini, Rogeri was one of the major makers of the Brescian school. The ...

cellos.

Personal life

Balanas is the sister of violinists

and Roberts Balanas.

References

External links

Margarita Balanas performs Max Bruch at Foundation Louis VuittonThe Balanas play Handel-Halverson
Living people 1993 births {{Latvia-musician-stub