MARIA KLIEGEL, cellist

Born in Dillenburg (Germany), MARIA KLIEGEL has been praised by today's great cellists Mstislav Rostropovich, Pierre Fournier and Franco Guilli. She won First Prize in the Jugend Musiziert Competition following her studies with Prof. Molzahn. She then went on to study with and became an assistant to Janos Starker at Indiana University, after which she began an artistic collaboration with Rostropovich. While in America she won several awards, soon followed by her triumph at the First German Music Competition in Bonn, the Aldo Parisot Prize in Brazil, and the First Grand Prix in the Paris Concours Rostropovich - launching a successful international career as a soloist.

Her recordings include Schnittke's First Cello Concerto as well as major works from the solo cello repertoire. In 1997 she appeared in the premiere of Wilhelm Kaiser-Lindemann's Homage a Nelson Mandela for cello and percussion in South Africa. Ms. Kliegel is also a renowned educator, honored in 1999 by the Land of Nordrhein-Westfalen for her services as Professor at the Cologne Musikhochskule and her support for community projects such as the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. She has also served as a member of the jury for such international competitions as the Leonard Rose Competition in Washington, the Pablo Casals Competition in Kronberg, the Unisa Transnet International Music Competition in Pretoria (South Africa) and the ARD Competition in Munich.

Ms. Kliegel plays the ex-Gendron Stradivarius cello.