Cellist Emma Bandeniece took her first steps as a musician at the age of four.

After graduating from the Cesvaine Music School and the Emīls Dārziņš Music Secondary School, Emma entered the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music under Diana Ozoliņa, and she has taken part in masterclasses led by world-class cellists including Sol Gabetta, Colin Carr and Jeroen Reuling, among others.

Emma has performed several times with orchestras as a soloist. During her studies, she also had the opportunity to play as part of various ensembles and orchestras, such as the Sinfonietta Rīga chamber orchestra and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO), as well as Dream Team, the LNSO cello group ensemble.

From 2016 to 2019, Emma played in Gidon Kremer’s Kremerata Baltica string chamber orchestra.

In September 2019, Emma began her master’s studies at London’s Royal College of Music under Melissa Phelps, and she is a recipient of the prestigious ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) scholarship.

Emma has now returned to Latvia where she is continuing her master’s studies at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music under Diana Ozoliņa.