Maya Fridman
Cello
Maya Fridman (Moscow, 1989) studied with Dmitry Ferschtman at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where she earned her Master’s degree with a 10 with distinction. She is a versatile cellist who prefers not to be limited to one single genre. While her background is in classical music, she equally enjoys playing folk, rock, jazz, and contemporary music – and does so often. In 2013, she received the Grote Prijs van Nederland Best Musician Award. At the Biënnale in 2016, Maya played a leading role in the creation and performance of theatre piece The Master and Margarita. Maya was a musician in residence at Gaudeamus and won the Dutch Classical Talent Award 2019. In 2020, she appeared in the programme Rituelen, performing pieces composed specially for her. On September 20th, 2022, the film United we Stand (Musicians in Time of War) by documentary maker David van Tijn premiered at the Film Museum Eye. In the film, David follows Maya in the organisation and performance of numerous benefit concerts, which came about immediately after the war broke out, thanks to Maya. During the Biënnale in 2022, Maya dedicated a night concert to the music of the recently passed Alexander Knaifel.