Vanya Milanova

Milanova was born in Razgrad, Bulgaria.{{cite web |url=https://queenelisabethcompetition.be/en/laureates/vania-milanova/152/|title=Vania Milanova |publisher=Queen Elisabeth Competition |access-date=3 January 2021}} She was a child prodigy, having performed her first paid concert under the tutelage of Yordan Yordanov at the age of six.{{Cite web|last=e-razgrad|date=2020-12-23|title=Ваня МИЛАНОВА: Музикантът е благословен човек, който живее с красотата на музиката и се стреми към идеалите на съвършенството|url=https://e-razgrad.bg/%d0%b2%d0%b0%d0%bd%d1%8f-%d0%bc%d0%b8%d0%bb%d0%b0%d0%bd%d0%be%d0%b2%d0%b0-%d0%bc%d1%83%d0%b7%d0%b8%d0%ba%d0%b0%d0%bd%d1%82%d1%8a%d1%82-%d0%b5-%d0%b1%d0%bb%d0%b0%d0%b3%d0%be%d1%81%d0%bb%d0%be%d0%b2/|access-date=2021-01-05|website=E-razgrad|language=bg-BG}} She studied at the Music School in Sofia and the State Music Academy in Sofia in the class of Peter Arnaudov, and later at the Guildhall School of Music in London, where she studied with pedagogue Yfrah Neaman.

At an early stage in her career, Milanova won prizes at several of the major international violin competitions: Kocian Violin Competition (Grand Prix for the overall winner),{{Cite web|title=Kocian Violin Competition|url=https://www.violinwiki.org/wiki/Kocian_Violin_Competition?fbclid=IwAR29kdgQg1yJeB7xgRzLv_zy9k11zluHN4QIXcxLOUvRNopozfElItKquWs&h=AT32QRLUDbJGd1sUahF4AmpNkRvUe_uF78dCi267AstsNBEtt7GCuoxmsreyY9QnCy6uYDQ8AF-SB5VdUbFVc2brZpJjZq4NQSWmt-i6rYiDxxRWzBzm7TOuuSJvUIhU-e8RzyoTcTKmlfOVijG8Ng|access-date=2021-01-02|website=l.facebook.com}}{{Cite web|date=2018-09-21|title=Музейна експозиция на Ваня Миланова в къщата-музей "Анание Явашов" в Разград {{!}} Форум 24|url=https://forum24.bg/музейна-експозиция-на-ваня-миланова-в/|access-date=2021-01-03|website=forum24.bg|language=bg}} Queen Elisabeth (10th prize; 1971), Paganini (3rd prize; 1973) and Tchaikovsky (joint 3rd prize; 1974).{{citation |title=Bulgaria (Bulg. Republika Bălgariya) |first1=Stoyan |last1=Petrov |first2=Magdalena |last2=Manolova |first3=Milena |last3=Bozhikova |first4=Donna A. |last4=Buchanan |work=Grove Music Online |date=28 May 2015 |orig-date=20 January 2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.04289 |quote=Many teachers of this generation of violinists are winners of the most prestigious national and international competitions ... Vanya Milanova ('Tchaikovsky' – Moscow, 'Queen Elizabeth' – Brussels, 'Paganini' – Genoa)}}{{citation |url=https://concoursreineelisabeth.be/en/laureates/ |title=Queen Elisabeth Competition: Laureates |publisher=Queen Elisabeth Competition |access-date=1 January 2021}}

She has played with orchestras in England, France, Italy, Turkey, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, South America and South Africa. She has made frequent recordings with the BBC – London and Manchester, Norwegian Label Simax, Bulgarian National Radio {{Cite web|title=Мъдростта на цигуларя|url=https://bnr.bg/shumen/post/101021388/madrostta-na-cigulara|access-date=2021-01-03|website=bnr.bg|language=bg}} and the Italian Label Real Sound,{{cite web |url=http://www.discogs.com/ |title=Home |website=discogs.com}}{{nonspecific|date=December 2021}} and has played at the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican Centre and the Royal Opera House for the Edward Boyle Memorial Concert 1983, attended by Her Majesty the Queen in aid of the Edward Boyle Memorial Trust.{{Cite web|title = The Edward Boyle Memorial Concert (1983)|url = http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b7108a8af|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120916181046/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b7108a8af|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2012-09-16|website = BFI|access-date = 2015-11-25}} She often was the soloist for fundraising events and recitals at the Square Chapel in the 1990s.{{cite web| url=https://www.squarechapel.co.uk/2017/04/square-chapel-arts-centre-pay-tribute-tim-pigott-smith-much-loved-talented-patron/ | title=Unknown}}{{Dead link| date=January 2024 | fix-attempted=yes}} She performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto to positive reviews at the Queen Elizabeth Hall with Hungarian concert pianist and conductor Tamas Vasary in 1982.{{cite news |title=Northern Sinfonia - Vasary, Queen Elizabeth Hall |url=https://www.thetimes.com/archive/article/1982-01-25/7/9.html#start%3D1970-01-01%26end%3D1985-01-01%26terms%3Dvanya%20milanova%26back%3D/tto/archive/find/vanya+milanova/w:1970-01-01%7E1985-01-01/1%26prev%3D/tto/archive/frame/goto/vanya+milanova/w:1970-01-01%7E1985-01-01/3%26next%3D/tto/archive/frame/goto/vanya+milanova/w:1970-01-01%7E1985-01-01/5 |access-date=4 January 2021 |work=The Times Archive / The Times and The Sunday Times |date=25 January 1982}} She often performed with the pianist Jonathan Dunsby.{{citation |title=Dunsby, Jonathan (Mark) |first=Rosemary |last=Williamson |work=Grove Music Online |year=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.06879 }}

The Times, reviewing a concert in 1981, praises her 'jewel bright intonation'.{{cite news |title=Milanova/Dunsby Wigmore Hall |url=https://www.thetimes.com/archive/article/1981-09-10/12/8.html#start%3D1970-01-01%26end%3D1985-01-01%26terms%3Dvanya%20milanova%26back%3D/tto/archive/find/vanya+milanova/w:1970-01-01%7E1985-01-01/1%26next%3D/tto/archive/frame/goto/vanya+milanova/w:1970-01-01%7E1985-01-01/2 |access-date=4 January 2021 |work=The Times Archive / The Times and The Sunday Times |date=10 September 1981}} Her beauty of tone is also mentioned in The Amadeus: Forty Years in Pictures and Words by Suzanne Rozsa-Lovett,{{Cite book|last=Rozsa-Lovett|first=Suzanne|title=The Amadeus: Forty Years in Pictures and Words |year=1988|isbn=0951397400|pages=86–87}} and Beyond the Notes by Stephannie Williams,{{Cite book|last=Williams|first=Stephannie|title=Beyond the Notes -A Lifelong Passion for Classical Music|publisher=Brewin Books|year=2020|isbn=9781858587165|location=United Kingdom|pages=35, 38, 75–76, 114}} and her musicality is referenced in Dame Fanny Waterman's autobiography, My Life in Music.{{Cite book|last=Waterman|first=Dame Fanny|title=My Life in Music|publisher=Faber Music|year=2015|isbn=978-0-571-53918-5|location=United Kingdom|pages=133}} Milanova is featured on the front cover of The Strad magazine in January 1982.{{Cite journal|date=January 1982|title=Profiles of the Medici Quartet, Vanya Milanova|journal=The Strad|volume=92|pages=1 8}}

She is the first woman to record the entire 24 Paganini caprices,{{Cite web|last=Vanya|first=Milanova|title=Fanfare Archive|url=http://fanfarearchive.com/indices/itop/labels/simax.html}}{{Cite web|last=The Virtuoso Channel|title=Virtuoso Channel|url=http://www.virtuosochannel.com/2012/05/vanya-milanova-premio-paganini-3rd.html}} which she did for the Simax Label, Oslo, 1985.Music Web International

She was violin professor at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey (from 2003). She led masterclasses (from 1991) at the Music Academy 'Prof Sasha Popov' during the International 'March Music Days' Festival in Ruse, Bulgaria.{{citation |title=March Music Days International Festival |first=Milena|last=Bozhikova|author-link=Milena Bozhikova |work=Grove Music Online |year=2015 |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.2280556}} She was a jury member for the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1994.

Milanova has been awarded 'Freedom of the City Award' in her native Bulgaria for her contribution to music, a Golden Feather Award from the Bulgarian Classic FM in 2001 and has been attributed with popularising classical music to a younger generation. She is an honorary member of the Horowitz festival.{{Cite web|title=НИЕ бр. 11|url=https://m.tripod.com/~NIE_monthly/nie-11/izkustvo.html?fbclid=IwAR3iuKzjG5C8FNOpQHjhlsShKfPdLwFPdpcMSvEU50VHSZnnA89gWgoXbAo|access-date=2021-01-03|website=m.tripod.com}} Milanova has a permanent museum exhibition dedicated to her in Bulgaria as announced by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.bta.bg{{cite web| url=http://www.bta.bg/bg/video/show/id/0_luydiuc4 | title=Лични вещи и документи на световноизвестната цигуларка Ваня Миланова са представени в изложба в Разград (Personal belongings and documents of the world-famous violinist Vanya Milanova are presented in an exhibition in Razgrad) | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923191602/http://www.bta.bg/bg/video/show/id/0_luydiuc4 | archive-date=2018-09-23 | language=bg}}

Vanya Milanova was married to Paul de Keyser,{{cite book |last1=Waterman |first1=Fanny |title=My Life In Music |date=2015 |publisher=Faber Music Ltd |location=England |isbn=978-0-571-53918-5 |page=133}} the son of pianist and teacher, Dame Fanny Waterman.

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Category:1954 births

Category:Living people

Category:Bulgarian violinists

Category:Bulgarian women violinists

Category:Women classical violinists

Category:20th-century classical violinists

Category:20th-century Bulgarian women musicians