About Me:
I believe that, for a pianist, one of the most important conditions to becoming a good performer and a teacher is having excellent teachers. Teachers inspire and influence their students. I feel lucky that I had a chance to always work with some of the best piano teachers and professors. While being in the Music High School in Varna (Bulgaria) I studied with Maria Gineva (a Moscow Conservatory graduate), one of the top music school teachers in Bulgaria. Later, during my studies at the National Academy of Music in Sofia (Bulgaria), I had the privilege to work with one of the best piano professors in my country and an incredible pianist, Prof. Snezana Barova. She also graduated from the Moscow Conservatory where she studied with one of the best pianists of all times, H. Neuhaus. Working with these teachers, I was highly influenced by the Russian Piano School. I can say that I developed my performance and teaching styles as a product of this so-called "Russian piano style" with all of its characteristic elements - the beautiful singing tone, the flexibility of the phrase, and the unique expression of the performance.

During my Doctorate studies at the SUNY Stony Brook I've been working with Prof. Dahl, a wonderful pianist and student of Gil Kalish.Living and studying in the US not only gave me the opportunity to observe some different performance approaches, but also new methods of teaching piano. As a result, in my teaching practice (especially working with beginners) I also incorporate some American Methods, such as Bastien's and Alfred's Methods. However, since I was taught in the Russian School of Piano Playing, that is the method that I primarily use in my teaching practice. Time and performance experiences throughout the centuries have proven that it is one of the best Piano Schools.

In conclusion my belief is that a good teacher must have the patience and understanding that the students need and a good knowledge about human psychology, something that is very important when working with students from different ages and backgrounds.

Styles:
Classical

Subjects:
Theory

Ages:
Elementary School, Pre-teen, Teenage, Adult

Major Influences:
Russian/Bulgarian School of Piano Playing

Education:

• Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance (DMA), SUNY Stony Brook [2007]
• Master of Music in Piano Performance (MM), University of South Florida, Tampa,FL [2002]
• Master of Music in Piano Performance (MM), National Music Academy, Sofia,Bulgaria [2000]

Studied With:

• Prof. Christina Dahl [2002 - 2007]
• Prof. Svetozar Ivanov [2000 - 2002]
• Prof. Snezana Barova [1995 - 2000]

Seminars and Workshops Attended:

• Piano Master Class with Logan Skelton (UM), University of South Florida [2002]
• Piano Master Class with John Ellis (UM), University of South Florida [2001]
• Piano Master Class with Leonidas Lipovetsky (FSU) , University of South Florida [2001]
• Piano Master Class with Jermen Munie, Paris Superior Conservatory [1996]
• Piano Master Class with Oksana Yablonskaya, National Academy of Music, Sofia,Bulgaria [1993]

Awards:

• Graduate Student Employee of the Year - 04/05 - Director's Office of Melville Library at SUNY Stony Brook [2005]
• Concerto Competition Winner - Third Place - Ocala Symphony Orchestra [2000]
• Concerto Competition Winner - Second Place - University of South Florida, Tampa,FL [2000]
• National Piano Competition "Franz Schubert" - 3d Prize Winner - National Music Academy, Sofia,Bulgaria [1997]

Recent Performances:

• Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall [December, 2006]