Margarita Balanas, Latvian cellist and conductor, is Latvia’s first woman to conduct symphony orchestras and, together with her sister violinist Kristīne Balanas, the first Latvian artists ever signed to Decca Classics - two historic firsts that mark a turning point in Latvia’s presence on the global stage.
Born in the small town of Dobele with no family background in classical music, by the age of two she was already on stage singing Rock’n’Roll at festivals; from the age of eight she took her cello to the streets, busking with her siblings to earn money for their first instruments and for trips to international competitions.
CELLIST
Margarita has performed as a soloist at leading venues worldwide, including Berliner Philharmonie, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Foundation Louis Vuitton and L’Auditori Barcelona.
Praised by GLAM Adelaide as ‘powerful, delicate, intense and brilliant’, 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, and at festivals such as Dresdner Musikfestspiele, the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, International Cello Festival Shanghai, Moritzburg Festival, and Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, among others.
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.
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 currently performs on a Matteo Goffriller cello made in 1734, generously on loan from Nippon Violin (Japan).
CONDUCTOR
Margarita Balanas is Latvia’s first woman to conduct symphony orchestras.
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Margarita held the Assistant Conductor position to Paavo Järvi at the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in season 23/24 and 24/25, most recently assisting Paavo Järvi at Pärnu Music Festival.
She has conducted orchestras including the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Das Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen, Argovia Philharmonic, Jeonju Symphony Orchestra (South Korea), Orquestra do Algarve, Baltic Sea Philharmonic, Fidelio Orchestra and this season includes conducting debuts with ADDA SIMFÒNICA ALICANTE and Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen tour (Germany) while also starting residency concert series at London’s Ladbroke Hall with her own orchestra, ANONIMI.
Margarita Balanas is the founder and chief conductor of the London-based orchestra, ANONIMI. In 2026, she launched a highly anticipated curated concert series with ANONIMI, where the orchestra continues its historic residency as the first orchestra-in-residence at Ladbroke Hall. Last season, Margarita and ANONIMI collaborated with an impressive roster of international artists, including Samuel Mariño (soprano), Kristīne Balanas (violin), Martin James Bartlett (piano), amongst others. Last season concluded with a critically acclaimed performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 4, featuring male soprano Samuel Mariño.
Margarita has received mentorship and guidance from Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi, Ben Palmer, Sigmund Thorp, and Leonid Grin and was awarded a full scholarship for her Professional Diploma studies in conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Sian Edwards.
Maestro Järvi has remarked, “It's more mysterious than ever today what it takes to be a conductor, but you can tell straight away whether someone has that certain something. Margarita Balanas has it.”
HOW IT BEGAN
Margarita Balanas’ musical journey began long before she touched a cello. Born in a small Latvian town of Dobele, with no family background in classical music, she was singing rock ’n’ roll on stage in festivals across the Baltics with her family before she could even speak.
As children, Margarita, her sister Kristīne (violinist), and brother Roberts (cross-over violinist) would stage impromptu performances and eventually took their music to the streets, busking to earn money for their first instruments and to travel to international competitions.
At 15, Margarita won a full scholarship to the Purcell School of Music in the UK, later studying both cello and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she was awarded the prestigious Bicentenary Scholarship. In recognition of her exceptional dual artistry and significant contributions to classical music, the Royal Academy of Music produced a short documentary, honouring Margarita as an artist of extraordinary calibre, whose career they take immense pride in having supported. In 2026 , in recognition of her outstanding achievements, Margarita was named Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM).
In 2014, during a recital in Australia, her performance caught the attention of legendary cellist Lynn Harrell, who offered to mentor her. Harrell, a two-time Grammy Award winner, became a pivotal influence on her artistry for the following years. Margarita was also selected for Gautier Capuçon’s Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle in Paris, a prestigious program for exceptional young cellists.
From the streets of Latvia to the world’s great concert halls, Margarita Balanas brings music to life with an unmistakable voice all her own.