Kristīne Balanas – A musician of “eye-popping virtuosity” (The Times)
“To describe Kristīne Balanas requires a deep dive into the adjective box. A street musician, a rock singer, and at the same time a violinist of breathtaking technical command: her playing is dramatic, passionate, sometimes wild – yet always controlled. A musician to kneel before.” (Tiroler Tageszeitung, 25 January 2026, Wolfgang Otter)
In demand for her “savage, bold, dramatic playing” (The Strad), Kristine’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, Kristine, as well as her siblings Margarita and Roberts, devoted her energy and life to music and made her way as a professional, internationally acclaimed soloist. 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. Kristine graduated with honours 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 BBC Concert Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the WDR Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris (directing from the violin), the Orchestre National de Montpellier, the European Union Youth Orchestra, the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, the Latvian National Orchestra, the George Enescu Philharmonic and the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, among others. She is playing with conductors such as Jukka-Pekka Saraste, James Gaffigan, Tarmo Peltokoski, Trevor Pinnock, Gergely Madaras, Andris Poga, Margarita Balanas, Ainars Rubikis, and Josep Vicent.
Kristīne has performed at festivals and concert halls including L’Auditori in Barcelona, the Royal Albert Hall, the Sydney Opera House, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, the Moritzburg Festival, Festival Radio France Occitaine Montpellier, Fjord Classics, Philharmonie Merck, the Risør Chamber Music Festival and Montserrat International Chamber Music Week.
Kristīne Balanas has won numerous awards, including 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 third prize at the 66th International ARD Music Competition.
Kristine performs on a 1787 Antonio Gragnani violin, kindly loaned to her by The Little Butterfly Foundation.
