BIOGRAPHY
Classical pianist Ivelina Krasteva is an internationally active solo and chamber musician.
An alumna of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Ivelina splits her time between performing and teaching.
Ivelina has performed in venues across Bulgaria, Turkey, Austria, Romania, Italy and the UK. Highlights include performances of Ravel’s Concerto in G with the Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra, Prokofiev’s First Piano Concerto with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra and Mozart’s 24th Piano Concerto with the Vratsa State Orchestra, Bulgaria.
Ivelina has received numerous awards from international competitions such as the first prize at the Coulsdon and Purley Concerto Competition in London, UK; first prize and a broadcasted recital on a national radio from the International Piano Competition Schumann-Brahms in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; third prize at the Pera Piano Competition in Istanbul, Turkey; second prize at The Golden Keys Piano Competition; third prize at International Competition Wiener Pianisten, Vienna, Austria; and others. In 2015 her accomplishments as a musician were acknowledged with prizes from the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and the Union of the Bulgarian Composers.
An avid chamber musician, Ivelina has played in various ensembles and has won prizes from competitions such as the first prize from the International Music Competition in Belgrade, Serbia as a part of a piano trio. Ivelina enjoys accompanying voice and has appeared in the Guildhall School’s concert series Songs at 6. She has received tuition from the Endellion Quartet, the Gould Piano Trio, Lada Valesova, Pamela Lidiard, Bretton Brown, Carole Presland, Adrian Brendel, Ralf Gothoni.
Ivelina is focused on building a strong foundation of the standard piano repertoire. She is also interested in exploring contemporary music and working with composers. In 2021 Ivelina and pianist Yuki Hammyo gave the premiere of British composer Charlotte Glyn-Woods’ work for 2 pianos Travel Slow. Ivelina is passionate about sharing works by female composers and has performed pieces by Elena Langer, Kaija Saariaho, Errollyn Wallen, Tansy Davies and others. In 2021 Ivelina took part in the Global Livestream Marathon ‘Woman Composers from Spain and Spanish America’ organised by the Festival Internacional de Musica de Tecla Espanola, performing Un Reve en Mer by Teresa Carreno.
Ivelina is very enthusiastic about sharing music on more than just the concert platform. She teaches a small class of private students of all ages and has experience working with groups of children. In 2018 she led interactive performance workshops in primary schools in London, guided by Decoda, the affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall, which specializes in making classical music accessible to kids. She has also led workshops in the Centre for Young Musicians, Richard Huish College and Guildhall Young Artists Norwich.
Born in 1998, Ivelina started her musical journey at 4 years of age. She received her primary and secondary education from the National School of Music and Dance in Plovdiv, working with Elena Velcheva. She graduated in 2017, receiving the school’s highest award for artistic achievements. In 2021, Ivelina received a first-class undergraduate degree, and in 2023, a Masters in Piano Performance from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, under the tutelage of Ronan O’Hora and Katya Apekisheva. In addition to her studies, she has benefitted from playing in masterclasses led by internationally acclaimed musicians, such as Richard Goode, Robert Levin, Imogen Cooper, Jonathan Biss, Bernard d'Ascoli, Itamar Golan, Boris Petrushansky, Noriko Ogawa, Stephan Moeller among others.
Throughout her education, she has been supported by the Keyboard Charitable Trust, Craxton Memorial Trust, Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, Prof. Lyuba Encheva Foundation, Henry Wood Accommodation Trust, The Worshipful Company of Pewterers, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.