Biography

Lily Petrova (b. 2003) began her piano studies at the age of six. She received her formative education at The Purcell School of Music with Professor Tatiana Sarkissova and is currently continuing her studies at The Royal Academy of Music under Professor Joanna MacGregor CBE.

As a concert pianist, chamber musician, and curator with a diverse musical background rooted in Bulgarian folk song and dance, Lily champions rarely performed works and explores the boundaries of classical music performance through other art forms. She played a key role in founding the Forgotten Melodies Society, an organisation created to provide more concert opportunities for conservatoire students in London and to perform rarely heard pieces. Subsequently, she founded the Muse and Fashion Collective, aiming to bridge the gap between art forms such as fashion and dance, and to introduce classical music to children. In September 2024, Lily was appointed as the Director of the Maria Vraka Music Academy, where she continues to serve on the faculty.

Lily has performed at prestigious venues including Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the Royal Overseas League. She was invited to perform at a welcoming concert for the Bulgarian Cultural Minister and conductor Nayden Teodorov at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute. Internationally, Lily has performed across Europe in countries such as Italy, Germany, and Bulgaria, including the Bulgaria Hall in Sofia. She has played at the Piano Extravaganza festival in Sofia and recently took part in the first complete performance of Kurtág’s Játékok at the Royal Academy of Music Piano Summer Festival.

She is the first prizewinner of many international piano competitions, including the Springboard Festival Concerto Competition, which led to her performance of Arensky’s Fantasia with the Brighton Youth Orchestra conducted by Andrew Sherwood. She was a category winner at the Rickmansworth Young Musician of the Year and most recently won third prize at the Pietro Argento Competition in Italy.

Lily has received guidance from esteemed musicians such as Bernd Goetzke, Imogen
Cooper, Dmitri Alexeev, Tabea Zimmermann Steven Osborne, Barbara Szczepańska, Ludmil Angelov, Hinrich Alpers, Sontraud Speidel, and Nicholas Walker, among others. Her chamber music coaches include Adrian Brendel, Nathan Braude, and Nicola Eimer. As a chamber musician, she performed alongside the Kaleidoscope Collective at the Side-by-Side project at the Royal Academy of Music Chamber Music Festival and performed the Poulenc Two-Piano Concerto at the Bushey Festival.