MARIANNA SIKORSKA Born in Bydgoszcz, Poland. There she started to play cello at the age of 7 at The Arthur Rubinstein Primary and Secondary Music School where she was a student of prof. Iwona Michalak. After her graduation she started to study with prof. Tomasz Strahl at The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. In 2014 she continued her education within the Erasmus program at Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna (Austria) where she was a student of prof. Reinhard Latzko's class. Currently as a member of Affetto Piano Trio which she creates together with Amelia Maszonska (violin) and Mischa Kozlowski (piano) she is pursuing postgraduate chamber music studies at Hochschule der Künste Bern where she works with prof. Patrick Jüdt, prof. Tomasz Herbut and prof. Monika Urbaniak-Lisik. She won many top prizes at numerous polish national and international music competitions including: • 2. Prize at The 31. Polish National Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Zielona Gora, Poland • winner of the polish national auditions for a monthly scholarship at Morningside Music Bridge in Calgary, Canada • 3. Prize at The International Wiłkomirski Cello Competition in Poznan, Poland • 3. Prize at The International Cello Competition in Liezen, Austria • 1. Prize and Special Prize at the 1. Polish National Cello Tournament in Warsaw, Poland • 1. Prize and Special Prize at the 2. Polish National Cello Tournament in Warsaw, Poland She developed her musical skills at numerous masterclasses with renowned professors such as Arto Noras, Natalia Shakhovskaya, Reinhard Latzko, Danjulo Ishizaka, Michaela Fukacova, Catalin Ilea, Alexander Neustroev, Kazimierz Michalik, Roman Jablonski, Desmond Hoebig, Na Mu La, Hans Jensen, Richard Aaron. Together with Affetto Piano Trio she represented Hochschule der Künste Bern at The European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) where she had an opportunity to work with world-famous chamber music authorities such as Hatto Beyerle (Alban Berg Quartet), Minna Pensola and Corina Belcea among others. As a chamber musician she had also an honour to perform together with such musicians as Bartek Niziol, Vladimir Bukac, Daniel Pezzotti, Pierro Massa, Tomoko Akasaka and Agata Szymczewska among others. .