Svetla Protich
Svetla Protich (Bulgarian: Светла Протич), is a Bulgarian classical pianist and professor of music.
Biography[]
Svetla Protich started taking piano lessons at the age of 5 under Prof. Dimitar Nenov, and performed her first solo-recital when she was only 8 years old. At the age of 9 she was offered a membership in the prestigious Bulgarian Union of Performing Artists and Musicians. At 15 she became a full-time piano student at the , and graduated from the same school at 20 years old, with honors. She took her master's degree at the , with the legendary professor Florica Musicescu (daughter of Moldova-born Romanian composer Gavril Musicescu).
After completing her education, Protich became an active concert pianist. She was a soloist of the Sofia Philharmony and of several other orchestras, and also performed multiple solo recitals. Her performances were recognized in dozens of countries around the world: the former USSR, France, Italy, Poland, Egypt, Norway, Hungary, former Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, United States, etc. In 1981, she made her solo debut in London at the world-famous Wigmore Hall. In the same year, following an invitation from the Austrian Ministry of Culture, she completed a 1-year professional specialization in the music of Mozart and Schubert: stylistical interpretation and performance.
Protich is currently a professor of piano music at Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Kyoto, Japan. Together with her work as a scholar, Protich continues to perform actively as a soloist of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as chamber music and solo piano recitals.
Distinctions[]
- 1st place at two Bulgarian National Competitions, and one International Competition (1968 in Moscow, USSR)
- Laureate of the Order of St. Cyril and St.Methodius for her achievement and contributions to the Bulgarian culture .
- Silver Lyre award by the Union of the Bulgarian Musicians
- prestigious Artist Emeritus title issued by the Government of Republic Bulgaria, for her skilled performances and musical talent.
- (Takarazuka): member of the jury
- (Osaka): member of the jury
- (Osaka): 3 times a member of the critically acclaimed jury presided by Lord Yehudi Menuhin
Recordings[]
Svetla Protich recorded with labels such as Harmonia Mundi, Balkanton, , Nimbus Records, King Records, performing the works of Mozart, Schubert, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Bach, etc.
External links[]
- Living people
- Bulgarian classical pianists
- Women classical pianists
- Musicians from Sofia
- Bulgarian expatriates in Japan
- 21st-century classical pianists