Emilia Baranowska

Born in Sofia, Emilia Baranowska began piano lessons at the age of four with her mother, Maria Dimitrova-Baranowska, a pianist and renowned teacher. At the age of nine, Emilia switched to the cello and became a student of the great Bulgarian cellist Zdravko Yordanov, a disciple of Rostropovitch.

Her encounters with Elefterios Papastavro, a disciple of Pablo Casals who taught in Paris, and with a German couple, Ernst and Margrit Hermann, patrons of the arts, changed the course of her life. At the age of 18, Emilia left her native country and settled alone in Paris to pursue her musical studies at the École Normale Supérieure de Musique from where she graduated with a ‘Licence de Concert’ diploma.

Emilia met Enrique Barenboim, the father of the great conductor Daniel, in Paris. Enrique was a great musician and pedagogue. After this meeting, Emilia was invited to study with the great cellist Jacqueline du Pré, wife of Daniel Barenboim. Emilia visited Jacqueline in 1978 four times before illness made any further visits impossible. After this time, Emilia moved to New York and the Julliard School to study under Léonard Rose.

Today Emilia Baranowska is one of the greatest cellists in the world.