Maria Kliegel, born November 14, 1952, in Dillenburg, Hesse, Germany, is a distinguished cellist. She studied under János Starker at the University of Indiana, Bloomington, and won multiple awards early in her career, including first prizes from the American College Competition (Chicago), the German competition (Bonn), and the Aldo Parisot competition (Brazil). In 1981, she secured the grand prize at the second Mstislav Rostropovich International Cello Competition in Paris. Kliegel's career included notable collaborations and extensive recordings. She performed with ensembles like Trio Xyrion, featuring Nina Tichman on piano and Ida Bieler on violin. Her discography for Naxos Records spanned works by Beethoven, Bloch, Brahms, Bruch, Dvořák, Elgar, Lalo, Saint-Saëns, Schumann, and Tchaikovsky, as well as chamber music by Bach, Chopin, Kodály, Mendelssohn, and Schubert.
