LILY POPOVA

Lily Popova was born in Varna, Bulgaria - a cultural centre on the Black Sea, home of one of the oldest and most prestigious music festivals in Europe. She began playing piano at the age of five and entered the Music High-School "Dobri Hristov" in Varna at ten. By the time she was sixteen, Lily Popova had performed numerous solo recitals and had won several important national and international competitions, including a prize at "Usti nad Labem", Czech Republic, and the Absolute First Prize at the Stresa International Piano Competition, Italy. In 1991 she went to Los Angeles and continued her musical education at Cal. State LA. She won the First Prize at the "Bronislav Kaper Competition" in Los Angeles and the Classical Music Prize at the Music Centre Spotlight Awards. In 1993 Lily Popova gave her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen, performing the First Piano Concerto of Tchaikovsky. In 1997 she made her debut in "Thracia Summer" Music Festival, playing the E-flat major Piano concerto by Mozart.