Kristīne Balanas

Violin

General management

KristineBalanas_2©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo

Kristīne Balanas - A musician of “eye-popping virtuosity” (The Times)

“Describing Kristīne Balanas requires digging deep into the box of adjectives. Street musician, rock singer and violinist of breathtaking technical mastery: her playing is dramatic, passionate, sometimes wild – yet controlled. A musician to kneel before." (Tiroler Tageszeitung, 25 January 2026, Wolfgang Otter)

In demand for her “savage, bold, dramatic playing” (The Strad), Kristīne’s head-turning transformation from a street musician and rock singer in Latvia to an internationally acclaimed soloist in classical music is unprecedented.

Born into a family of non-musicians, Kristīne as well as her siblings Margarita and Roberts devoted their energy and their life to music and made their way as professional, internationally acclaimed soloists all of which follow their own musical profile. The street music not only provided the funding for Kristīne’s first violin but also nurtured her ability to forge deep connections with her audience and to play with her full heart, regardless of the setting. The contrast between the freedom of creating and performing in untraditional environments and the disciplined atmosphere of Europe’s leading music academies profoundly shaped her artistic identity. She also has a deep desire to open classical music to a wider audience and, for example, to make challenging works accessible through concert introductions.
Kristīne graduated with honors from the Royal Academy of Music, studying under György Pauk, and continued her education at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler under Kolja Blacher.

Kristīne Balanas is working with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Liverpool Philharmonic, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Saarländisches Staatsorchester, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris (directing from the violin), Orchestre National de Montpellier, European Union Youth Orchestra, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Trondheim Symfoniorkester, Kremerata Baltica, Latvian National Orchestra, George Enescu Philharmonic, Concerto Budapest, Israel Philharmonic, the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kioi Hall Chamber Orchestra.

She is playing with conductors such as Jukka-Pekka Saraste, James Gaffigan, Tarmo Peltokoski, Trevor Pinnock, Gergely Madaras, Andris Poga, Margarita Balanas, Ainars Rubikis, Kristiina Poska, Harry Ogg, Shiyeon Sung, Josep Vicent, Lin Liao, Marcus Bosch and Chloe van Soeterstede.

Kristīne has performed at festivals and concert halls including L’Auditori in Barcelona, Royal Albert Hall, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, the Moritzburg Festival, Festival Radio France Occitaine Montpellier, Fjord Classics, Philharmonie Merck and Risør Chamber Music Festival and Montserrat International Chamber Music Week.

A regular guest soloist on Latvian National Radio Recitals, Kristīne has also performed on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune and BBC One’s The One Show, and given recitals at the Purcell Room, St. John’s Smith Square and Kings Place.

Kristīne Balanas has won numerous prices, amongst them the 2018 Young Artist of the Year in the Grand Music Awards of her home country, the Fundacion Excelentia Young Talent Award from Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain, and the 3rd prize of the 66th International ARD Music Competition.

Kristīne performs on a 1787 Antonio Gragnani violin, kindly loaned to her by “The Little Butterfly Foundation”.

Season 2025/2026

Please use this by Weigold & Böhm authorized Biography only.

Contacts

Yvonne Weigold

Managing Director

yvonne@weigold-boehm.de

+49 81 93 23 61 200
Verena Brecht

Artist Manager

verena@weigold-boehm.de

+49 81 93 23 61 204
Julie Davidsen

Artist Manager

julie@weigold-boehm.de

+49 81 93 23 61 208
Jian Kang

Artist Manager & Digital Communication

jian@weigold-boehm.de

+49 81 93 23 61 203
Blaž Kemperle

Artist Manager

blaz@weigold-boehm.de

+49 8193 23 61 206

Photos

KristineBalanas_2©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_1©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_10©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_9©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_7©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_11©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_3©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_4©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_5©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_6©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_8©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
KristineBalanas_12©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo
Balanas Sisters ©Decca / Pip Bourdillon
Balanas Sisters ©Decca / Pip Bourdillon
Balanas Sisters ©Decca / Pip Bourdillon
Balanas Sisters ©Decca / Pip Bourdillon
KristineBalanas_13©AigaVitola_@aiga.vitola.photo

News

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