Maria Kalesnikava is a Belarusian flautist, conductor, cultural manager and activist for democracy. She studied in Minsk and Stuttgart and finished two master’s degrees in early music and new music.

As co-founder of the InterAKT Initiative in Stuttgart and Artistic Director of the cultural hub OK16 in Minsk she developed numerous international projects in the fields of culture, education and social innovation. Her artistic work connects contemporary music with questions of cultural identity, societal responsibility, freedom and political reflection.

Kalesnikava made a name internationally in 2020 as one of the most formative characters of the Belarusian democratic movement. For her engagement, she spent more than five years in detention as a political prisoner.

For her effort for democracy and human rights, she has received numerous international awards, such as the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, the International Women of Courage Award, the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize and the Internationaler Karlspreis der Stadt Aachen. She has also been appointed as an honorary professor and has received an honorary degree in Austria.

Since her release, Maria Kalesnikava has been continuing her artistic and societal work. She has received a stipend from the Martin Roth-Initiative and the Akademie Schloss Solitude.