''…I thought it was so fantastic, I just had to share it with you all. ‘' Sir Elton John, on Roberts Balanas' arrangement of ‘I'm Still Standing’

''FREAK'‘ - vulfpeck

A musician of eclectic artistry, Latvian violinist Roberts Balanas enjoys a wide range of musical interests and aims to tear down the boundaries between different genres of music. Combining his background in classical music with the sound worlds of pop, rock and funk, he has developed a distinctive voice that reimagines the violin as a truly contemporary instrument. His solo violin arrangements have attracted millions of views online and widespread international attention.

Recent highlights include performances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Ladbroke Hall and EartH theatre in London, Kühlhaus Berlin, Latvian National Opera and Vilnius Philharmonic Hall, as well as debuts with Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, Staatsorchester Kassel, Jove Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona and ANONIMI Chamber Orchestra.

In his home country, Balanas is a regular guest at Lielais Koncerts, an annual concert celebrating Latvian music that attracts an audience of over 30,000 people. Committed to expanding the violin’s contemporary repertoire through both new commissions and his own compositions, in 2026 Balanas will make his debut at Palau de la Música Catalana and Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma performing a newly commissioned electric violin concerto by Angela Luque. Having made his solo debut at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall at the age of 16, Roberts studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he was awarded both the Principal’s Prize and the Bicentenary Scholarship. His performances have been broadcast on Classic FM, BBC Radio 1 and 3, Scala Radio, and featured by The Violin Channel. He currently performs on a 2021 Paul Belin violin and a custom-made Fortevio six-string electric violin.