Classically trained percussionist, looking for inspiration in history, foreign cultures, and languages. Marianna Soroka enthusiastically shares her musical skills between contemporary, early and folk music fields, both as a chamber musician and soloist. She is quickly gaining international acclaim especially as a historical percussion player – her contributions have been called ‘exceptionally sensitive’, giving the score ‘added depth and texture’ (Myth illustrated with music: Purcell's King Arthur at the Aldeburgh Festival by Charlotte Valori, 27 June 2017, bachtrack.com).
Born into an artistic family, Marianna was raised in appreciation for fine arts, history and literature. She began her musical education with the piano at the age of 6; a few years later she joined a school choir and performed regularly at the Opera House in her hometown Poznan, Poland. Marianna discovered percussion as a teenager and it immediately became her main musical focus. She first studied at the Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan, and later at the Conservatorio Superior de Música "Eduardo Martínez Torner" in Oviedo, Spain. She then moved to the Netherlands where she studied at the Codarts in Rotterdam and Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague (Master’s degree in Music, 2016). While in the Netherlands, Marianna was introduced to the contemporary music scene, working closely with composers and sound artists such as Yannis Kyriakides and Aurélie Lierman.
Marianna is a founding member of Le Concert d’Apollon New French Baroque Ensemble and a member of the award-winning Mitomani, a multi-style folk group. Since 2015 she has been working with Belgian composer Aurélie Lierman, developing repertoire focused on voice and percussion – their piece Kropka na ogonie/Soroka fruwa was selected as a Belgian entry for the ISCM World New Music Days 2017 (Vancouver, Canada). Marianna’s performances include baroque repertoire with Vox Luminis and Concerto Foscari, as well as 20th century and contemporary with LUDWIG, Slagwerk Den Haag and But What About Ensemble (percussion and piano).