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

"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." (Paavo Järvi)

“powerful, delicate, intense and brilliant” (GLAM Adelaide)

Latvian cellist and conductor Margarita Balanas has performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, Berliner Philharmonie, Sydney Opera House, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, Foundation Louis Vuitton, Walt Disney Hall and L’Auditori Barcelona.

Recipient of Latvian Grand Music Award, Margarita has performed as a soloist with renowned orchestras including The Munich Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta Riga, Saarbrucken Symphony Orchestra, Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Philharmonie Merck, and has participated in acclaimed festivals including Dresdner Musikfestspiele, Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, International Cello Festival Shanghai, Moritzburg Festival, Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier.

Margarita Balanas is the founder and music director of the ANONIMI orchestra and charity. She held the position of Assistant Conductor to Paavo Järvi at the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in season 23/24 and 24/25. Margarita has conducted the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Orquestra do Algarve, the Royal Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra, Fidelio Orchestra, Glover-Edwards Symphony Orchestra, Baltic Sea Philharmonic and Järvi Academy Orchestra and Sinfonietta. Margarita has received mentorship and guidance from Paavo Järvi, Ben Palmer, Sigmund Thorp, Neeme Järvi and Leonid Grin and was selected for Professional Diploma studies in conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Sian Edwards.

Margarita and Kristīne Balanas, performing together as the Balanas Sisters, recently concluded their Australian tour. They performed at the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre, Snow Concert Hall in Canberra, and North Baroque Hall in Adelaide, among others, and were met with sold-out audiences and critical acclaim. "Such an engrossing study of contrasts can only raise the hope that these consummate musicians will soon return."– Tony Way, The Age (★★★★★)

Margarita is a has been featured as guest artist for Classic FM, Scala Radio, BBC Radio 3 In Tune, ABC Classic. Her debut album of Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No.1 and other works with Linn Records has since been featured on Apple Music playlists such as ‘Classical You Must Hear This Month’, ‘Women in Classical Music’ and ‘The A-List Classical’. Margarita toured the U.S. and Europe with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Mutter Virtuosi and recorded for Deutsche Grammophon.

Margarita currently plays the Charles-Adolphe Gand ‘Auguste Tolbecque’ 1849 cello kindly on loan from The Little Butterfly Foundation. Camille Saint-Saëns wrote his cello Concerto No. 1 for Tolbecque who premiered the concerto on this cello in 1873.