Maksims Skibickis began playing the cello at the age of eight. He graduated from the Emīls Dārziņš Music School in Riga, where he studied under Ellionora Testeļeca and later with Diana Ozoliņa. He is currently continuing his studies at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in the class of Associate Professor Diana Ozoliņa.

Since 2022 Maksims is a cello group concertmaster and soloist of Davinspiro Camerata chamber orchestra and regular member of the cello section of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and actively participates in a wide range of chamber music projects. In 2023, he contributed to the recording of George Enescu’s String Octet for Champs Hill Records, featured on Daniil Bulayev’s debut album, which has since been released to critical acclaim, including praise from BBC Music Magazine.

In 2025, Maksims was selected as a member of the prestigious European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), one of Europe’s leading youth orchestras, where he serves as a cellist. As a soloist, he has performed with renowned accordionist Ksenija Sidorova and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. He is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, including the Latvian National Music Competition (2018), the Karl Davidov International Cello Competition (2016), the JSfest International Competition in Finland (2019), and the “Čello Cēsis” Competition (2024).

Maksims took part in the Latvian premiere of Astor Piazzolla’s operita María de Buenos Aires, a production that was awarded the Latvian Grand Music Award for Best Production of the Year. He has also been honored with the Latvian Academy of Music’s prestigious “Young Musician of the Year” award.

Maksims has honed his artistry through masterclasses with some of the world’s most distinguished cellists, including Nicholas Jones, Gautier Capuçon, Mischa Maisky, Reinhard Latzko, Deniss Shapovalov, Jean-Guihen Queyras, István Várdai, Kristin von der Goltz, Tanja Tetzlaff, Martti Rousi, and Leonid Gorokhov.