Latvian cellist and conductor, Margarita Balanas is Latvia's first woman to conduct a symphony orchestra and, with her sister violinist Kristīne Balanas, the first Latvian artist ever signed to Decca Classics. Margarita has performed as a soloist at the Royal Albert Hall, Berliner Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House.

Yet her path there began far from any classical stage. Born in a small Latvian town with no family background in classical music, she was singing rock 'n' roll on stage by the age of two, and busking on the streets with her siblings at age eight to earn money for her first cello and fund her participation in international competitions. Margarita graduated with honors from the Royal Academy of Music and was awarded the prestigious Bicentenary Scholarship. In recognition of her exceptional dual artistry as a conductor and cellist, and significant contributions to classical music, the Royal Academy of Music produced a short documentary. In 2026 , in recognition of her achievements, Margarita was named Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM).

CELLIST

Margarita graduated with honors from the Royal Academy of Music and was awarded the prestigious Bicentenary Scholarship. She studied with Mats Lidstrom and since 2014 was mentored by Lynn Harrell.

Margarita has performed as a soloist at leading venues and festivals including Berliner Philharmonie, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Foundation Louis Vuitton, L’Auditori Barcelona, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, International Cello Festival Shanghai, Moritzburg Festival, and Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier.

"Margarita Balanas performed with technical brilliance and expressive power, shaping delicate and deeply stirring tones and bringing the work brilliance and richness." - Johannes Seifert, Augsburger Allgemeine

Margarita is a recipient of the Latvian Grand Music Award and has performed as soloist with the Munich Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Saarländisches Staatsorchester, Deutsche Philharmonie Merck, Kammerphilharmonie Ingolstadt, Sinfonietta Riga, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestra, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, Jurmala Festival Orchestra, Estonian Festival Orchestra and Lithuanian National Philharmonic.

Margarita has performed with conductors including Paavo Järvi, Ben Palmer, Ariel Zuckermann, Gabriel Bebeșelea, Carlos Izcaray, Chung Min, Aivis Greters, Anthony Gabriele, Shi-Yeon Sung, Modestas Pitrėnas, Robertas Šervenikas, Gintaras Rinkevičius and Māris Sirmais.

Margarita is a Decca Classics recording artist. Together with her sister, violinist Kristīne Balanas, they are the first Latvian artists in history to sign with Decca. They have released Pēteris Vasks’ Castillo Interior, available across all major streaming platforms. Last season the Balanas Sisters completed their Australian tour with sold-out performances at Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre, and Snow Concert Hall amongst others. Tony Way of The Age praised their performances, noting, ‘…one can only raise the hope that these consummate musicians will soon return.’ (★★★★★)

Margarita is also a regular guest artist on Classic FM, BBC Radio 3 and ABC Classic. She has collaborated extensively with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Mutter Virtuosi, including multiple international tours and a recording for Deutsche Grammophon. Margarita also was selected for Gautier Capuçon’s Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle.

This season she embarks on a Korean tour, debuting with the Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestra, performs at Greator Festival in Cologne for an audience of over 14,000, debuts with the Kammerphilharmonie Ingolstadt, and performs the Philip Glass double concerto with Kristīne Balanas and Paavo Järvi at the Pärnu Music Festival.

Margarita Balanas performs on two exceptional historic instruments. She currently plays a Matteo Goffriller cello made in 1734, generously loaned by Nippon Violin (Japan) and on the historic Charles-Adolphe Gand cello known as the “Auguste Tolbecque” 1849 cello, generously entrusted to her by the Little Butterfly Foundation. The instrument carries a remarkable musical legacy, having belonged to Auguste Tolbecque, the renowned 19th-century French cellist for whom Camille Saint-Saëns composed his Cello Concerto No. 1, which Tolbecque later premiered on this very instrument.

CONDUCTOR

Margarita Balanas is Latvia’s first woman to conduct symphony orchestras, establishing a groundbreaking presence as a new generation of artist-leaders who bridge the traditions of performance and conducting.

“the latest voice in the dialogue about what the future of classical music might look like.” - The Arts Desk

Margarita’s conducting journey has been shaped by close mentorship from some of the world’s leading conductors. She held the position of Assistant Conductor to Paavo Järvi at the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, working closely with the orchestra and Maestro Järvi. She most recently assisted Paavo Järvi at Pärnu Music Festival, continuing her work with the Järvi family. Her mentors and guides have also included Neeme Järvi, Ben Palmer, Sigmund Thorp and Leonid Grin.

She completed her Professional Diploma in Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London with a full scholarship, studying under Sian Edwards.

Margarita has led orchestras including the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen, Argovia Philharmonic, Jeonju Symphony Orchestra (South Korea), Orquestra do Algarve, Baltic Sea Philharmonic and Fidelio Orchestra. Her upcoming engagements include debuts with ADDA SIMFÒNICA Alicante and Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen tour (Germany), alongside her ongoing work developing her own artistic projects.

In 2023, Margarita founded ANONIMI, London’s newest orchestra, created to bring together exceptional musicians and explore bold artistic concepts. As Founder and Conductor, she has developed ANONIMI into a distinctive new musical platform, with the orchestra becoming the first orchestra-in-residence at Ladbroke Hall, London. In 2026, Margarita launched ANONIMI’s curated concert series at Ladbroke Hall, presenting collaborations with leading international artists including Samuel Mariño (soprano), Kristīne Balanas (violin), and Martin James Bartlett (piano). The orchestra’s last season concluded with a critically acclaimed performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, featuring male soprano Samuel Mariño. The concert series and residency continues into 2027 with a season opening concert on September 30th 2026.

Her dual identity as a conductor and cellist continues to shape her artistic approach, bringing together deep instrumental understanding, collaborative leadership and a commitment to creating new pathways in classical music.

“Today, it is more mysterious than ever what it takes to be a conductor, but you can immediately recognise when someone possesses that certain something. Margarita Balanas has it.” - Maestro Paavo Järvi