Maksim Barbash is a highly acclaimed Belarusian cellist, renowned for his charisma, deep musicality, and outstanding skills. Beginning his musical journey at the age of seven, he graduated from Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 2020, studying under Alexey Seleznev. In 2022, he completed his master in solo Performance with highest distinction under Thomas Demenga at Academy of Music in Basel. He is currently pursuing a Master in contemporary music at Academy of Music Basel in the class of Danjulo Ishizaka.

Maksim has participated in masterclasses with renowned artists and pedagogues, including Steven Isserlis, David Geringas, Antonio Meneses, Anssi Karttunen, and Wen-Sinn Yang. He has won numerous international competitions, including the Kiefer Hablitzel Music Prize (2025) and the Grand Prix at the "Young Talents of Belarus" in his home country.

Maksim has performed as a soloist with prestigious orchestras, such as the Basel Symphony Orchestra, Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn, the Symphony Orchestra of the National Television of Belarus, Junge Sinfoniker Basel, and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Belarus. He has collaborated with esteemed conductors including Samy Rachid, Yannis Pouspourikas, Matthias Kuhn, and Tarmo Peltokoski.

As a chamber musician, Maksim has performed at many international festivals, including the Berner Seefestspiele, Révélations-Jeunes Interprètes, Interfinity, Altstadtserenaden, and Festival Momentum. He has also been invited by several international foundations, such as the BOG Stiftung, Turmstiftung Schloss Holligen, Swiss Foundation for Young Musicians, and Rudolf von Tobel Stiftung.

As an enthusiastic interpreter of new music, Maksim is actively collaborating with living composers. He is a member of the Zone expérimentale ensemble, with whom he regularly performs in Switzerland. He recently appeared alongside harpist Alexander Boldachev in Zurich, premiering Fondamenta della Misericordia by Belarusian composer Valery Voronov. In addition, Maksim participated in interdisciplinary projects such as 7x7 at Tanzhaus Basel, diving into the world of contemporary dance and performance practice. His artistic interests also include improvisation and the exploration of innovative forms of musical expression.

Maksim plays a modern cello made by Thiemo Schutter and Rahel Widmer in 2022 in Bern.