Natalia Pegarkova-Barenboim, an award-winning pianist, is renowned for her remarkable solo performances and her passion for chamber music. She is based in Berlin and often collaborates with renowned musicians such as Michael Barenboim and Daniel Hope on stage. Her repertoire is varied, stretching from the early 18th century to the music of today, with a strong focus on the classical and romantic era.
Natalia completed her studies with distinction at the Gnessin State Music College in Moscow and pursued further studies at the Rostock University of Music and Theatre as well as the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany. She was awarded first prize in the prestigious Concorso Internazionale Valsesia Musica Juniors 2006 Premio Monterosa-Kawai (Italy).
Throughout her career, Natalia has performed with numerous chamber ensembles, including the Junge Münchner Philharmonie, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie led by George Benjamin, Kristjan Järvi, and Erik Nielsen, and the Berlin Chamber Orchestra. She has also participated in various international music festivals held in France, Hungary, Belgium, Spain, Greece, and Norway. In 2019, Natalia co-founded the Primevère song duo with soprano Sofia Livotov, which focuses on music by female composers and artist couples. The duo is passionate about performing lesser-known repertoire and is always keen to include music by forgotten and overlooked composers.
Linn Records released an exquisite CD featuring Michael Barenboim and Natalia Pegarkova-Barenboim interpreting F. Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words in March 2024. Natalia’s first solo piano romance recording with Odradek Records was released in October 2024.
Next to her performing career, Natalia is passionate about music education and has been working on a project to bring classical music and literature to music schools in Berlin. She has taught music theory and piano lessons as part of a pilot project Musikalische Schule, incorporating music education into the curriculum of primary schools. During the pandemic, she has written a children’s book titled Why music? that motivates children to take up musical instruments