Biography
Laura is a Bulgarian-American solo and collaborative pianist, instructor, and researcher. She is regularly invited to perform and teach internationally. Her most recent solo appearance was her performance of Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3 under conductor Francesco D'Ovidio in Italy. Laura completed her dual masters degree in Piano Performance and Advanced Certificate in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at NYU Steinhardt, where she studied with Ms. Eteri Andjaparidze. Laura is currently on faculty at Third Street Music School and The New York Piano School. She also runs her own private piano studio in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Prior to this, Laura served on the Adjunct Piano Faculty at New York University (2021-2023). Laura is a Steinway Education Partner and member of Piano Teachers Congress of New York. Her students have been featured in venues such as Weill Hall at Carnegie and Steinway Hall, New York City.
Laura performs an expansive and diverse repertoire canon that challenges our understanding of what music is, has been, and can be. Her research is embodied through performance. Laura’s work bridges the worlds of folk and classical performance, with a particular passion for preserving and interpreting Bulgarian musical traditions. Laura brings an essential understanding of Bulgarian folklore and its origins to her performances. She sings in New York City’s only Bulgarian Folk Choir, and is traveling to UNESCO-recognized Koprivshtitsa Folklore Festival to perform this summer.
Originally from San Jose, California, Laura grew up participating in the United States Open International Music Competition, winning top prizes in Treasury of Contemporary, Treasury of Romantic, and Treasure of USA Composer categories. In high school, Laura completed the advanced level of the Certificate of Merit Examinations through the Music Teachers Association of California and was a finalist in the competitive Panel Track through Young Artist Guild. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, where she studied with Mr. Steven Mayer. She graduated Cum Laude with distinction in her major.
Laura has participated in music festivals including the Todi International Music Masters (Italy), Puerto Piano and Strings Festival (Puerto Rico), Brevard Summer Institute (North Carolina), International Keyboard Institute and Festival (NYC), and Interharmony (Germany). As a first prize winner in the International Music Competition “Grand Prize Virtuoso”, Laura performed in the winner’s concert in Wiener Saal, Austria. She has also appeared as a soloist in Anna-Maria Kellen Concert Hall (NYC), Hamilton Recital Hall (CO), Le Petit Trianon Theatre (CA), Black Box Theatre (NYC), Sunrise at East 56th (NYC), and Merkin Hall (NYC). An advocate for new music, regularly collaborates with composers of her time, as seen in her participation in Tutte Le Corde festival–a collaboration between composers and pianists–resulting in the world premiere of several new works.
An avid collaborative pianist, Laura is regularly invited to play in small and large ensembles including orchestras, chorales, instrumental duos, chamber groups, opera, and musical theatre productions. Laura also accompanies ballet classes at Third Street Music and Dance School and has participated in the Mark Morris Dance Accompaniment training program, accompanying ballet, modern, tap, and jazz dance styles. Her master’s independent research project also focused on dance accompaniment, specifically for ballet technique class. Laura’s research also includes her experience at the Boulanger Initiative, where she compiled research on women and gender-marginalized composers for the only database of its kind, which gathers 8,000 works by more than 1,200 composers.