Strings

I am a professional musical director and composer, specialising primarily in tonal music and soundscape design. My works are rather eclectic, in that there is no commonly occurring theme amongst them in terms of style or genre. Having had the opportunity to gain plenty of experience from working in my specialist field whilst studying for my bachelors degree, I have rapidly acquired a vast amount of skills and music-related knowledge, particularly from a creative and performance-related perspective.

Primarily a skilled pianist, I have been fortunate enough to tour with various ensembles, performing in countries across Europe and the Caribbean, on renowned stages such as the Royal Albert Hall and ITV's “The X Factor”.

With an advanced understanding of the capabilities of varying instruments, I am capable of operating within any musical genre to a high level of proficiency, as well as directing performers and ensembles in the same manner.

Thanks to years of experience in learning to operate music production software such as Logic Pro (and Pro Tools), I am fully adept at autonomously carrying out the recording process by way of digital production, an invaluable skill in this modern age of music. My experience in teaching and tutoring various students has greatly aided my ability to communicate ideas in a clear, comprehensible manner, a skill which further qualifies me as a capable director, along with my immediate work history in musical theatre.

www.nelsonmusic.co.uk 

Penka Petkova began learning the piano at the age of five, and at the age of six she began her cello studies in the class of Daniela Cherpokova-Nikolaeva at the Lybomir Pipkov National School of Music in Sofia (Bulgaria). Since September 2013, she is a bachelor student of prof. Stefan Popov at Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London). Penka has been a scholarship student of Raina Kabaivanska’s, Communitas’ Foundations, Drake Calleja, Wolfson, Yordan Kamdzhalov Music Trusts. Penka is generously supported by the Guildhall School Trust. 

She is a laureate of the international competitions Young Virtuosos  in Sofia, M.A.G.I.C. for Austrian music in Bourgas (Bulgaria); the Radio Competition for chamber music Concertino Praga; Cello competition Karl Davidov in Kuldiga (Latvia); M. Elsky International Contest of String Bow instruments performers in Minsk (Belarus). 

She refines her skills in the master classes of Jérôme Pernoo, Prof. Vladimir Perlin, Mats Lidstrom, Dominique de Williencourt, Gavriel Lipkind , Seeli Toivio, Martin Zeller, Talich String Quartet, Prof. Grigory Feyghin, Elena Ashkenazy, Prof. Kevork Mardirossian, Alexander Zemcov,  etc.  She has also participated at the International Chamber Music and Orchestra Course “Musica Mundi” (Belgium), International Summer course for chamber music “Hindemith” in Blonay (Switzerland) and York Chamber Music Festival.

Penka Petkova has performed as soloist of Classic FM Radio Orchestra, New Symphony Orchestra, the philharmonic orchestras of Plovdiv, Pleven and Vratsa (Bulgaria); Liepaja Latvian philharmonic orchestra and the Belarusian State Philharmonic. She has had solo and chamber music recitals in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, England and United States.

In 2011 and 2012 she was awarded a Diploma for artistic achievement by the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria. Penka has solo and chamber music recordings made for the Czech radio, Bulgarian National TV, Bulgarian National Radio and other broadcastings.