Biography

Born in Bulgaria, at the Black Sea Coast of the city of Burgas, Gergana currently teaches at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Stoke d’Abernon in Surrey, England. A pupil of the famous pedagogue Natasha Boyarsky, Gergana was Natasha’s main assistant for four years as well as Lutsia Ibragimova’s assistant for seven. She currently works with Robin Wilson and has been covering for Boris Brovtsyn at the school. She also coaches chamber music there, most recently for recordings of Orchid Classics Album.

Gergana’s students have gone on to become some of today’s most recognised young violinists, major prize winners of the Menuhin Competition, Indianapolis Violin Competition, Montreal, Joachim and winners of Bartok, Brahms, Jeunesses Musicales and BBC Young Musician Strings. They have gone on to develop international performing careers working with Isserlis, Capucon, Kremer and have signed with major artists managements such as YCAT and Askonas Holt. Most recently her students have gotten places at top conservatoires in Berlin, Vienna, New York and London and have won full scholarships to Julliard School, Royal Academy, Royal College of Music, Indiana and Boston Conservatoire.

Gergana has performed at some of the most prestigious concert halls in London such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Cadogan Hall as well as representing Bulgaria at the Bulgarian Embassy in London. She was invited by conductor Martin Georgiev to perform Horo by Pancho Vladigerov with the Royal Academy Symphony Orchestra at the Duke’s Hall of the Royal Academy of Music in London. As a chamber musician she has worked with Russian Virtuosi alongside Alexander Sitkovetsky and Maxim Rysanov, performing in France and Spain and with English Soloists Ensemble alongside Corina Belcea and Natalia Lomeiko, performing in London. She has been part of London chamber Orchestra under Christopher Warren-Green and English Chamber Orchestra in collaboration with the Royal College of Music. She has also performed internationally in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Greece and India.

From the age of eleven Gergana studied at a specialist music school in Burgas, Bulgaria under Ludmila Ivanova, but began her first violin and piano lessons at the age of 6 with the Odesan violin pedagogue Ekaterina Lazarova, who she kept working with throughout her entire education. During her time in Bulgaria, Gergana won 25 prizes of National and International competitions and special recognition awards. She received three awards from the mayor of the City of Burgas for Achievements in Music and the Arts and was awarded the prestigious National Diploma by the Minister of Culture in Bulgaria for completing her education with full marks across all subjects. Gergana has returned to Bulgaria to perform Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Burgas Philharmonic Orchestra as well as to give two master classes and two recitals since her graduation from the music school.

She completed her Postgraduate and Undergraduate degrees as a scholar of the Royal College of Music in London, having received additional scholarships by John Wates, Path Kendal Taylor, Seary Trust, British Bulgarian Friendship Society, the prestigious Martin Musical Scholarship and a Full Scholarship from The Richard Carne Trust assuring Gergana’s five year education at the College and two additional years of private studies with Natasha Boyarsky post college.

Gergana has taken master classes with Mincho Minchev, Vania Milanova and Ifrah Neaman in Bulgaria, and Grigory Zhislin and Lewis Kaplan In London and has spent two years working with Yuri Zhislin and Natalia Lomeiko at the Royal College of Music as well as a year working with Anelie Gahl and Harold Herzl at the Mozarteum Salzburg.

Gergana also spent two years living in Mumbai, where she worked on several projects with MTV, Sonny Music and Disney India with the famous music director and composer Pritam Chakraborti. She was a judge at talent show Sa Ra Ga Ma Pa in season 2016 and recorded the violin solo for 2013 Oscar nominated film Barfi.

Gergana plays on the ex-Flesh 1874-75 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, once the main playing violin of Carl Flesh.