Biography
Lily Petrova has performed at prestigious venues including Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Royal Overseas League, and Zala Bulgaria. She is also a frequent artist at the Bulgarian Cultural Centre, where her performances have included the welcoming of the Bulgarian Cultural Minister.
Internationally, she has given concerts in Italy, Germany, and Bulgaria, and has performed at the Piano Extravaganza Festival. She recently took part in the first complete performance of Kurtág’s Játékok at the Royal Academy of Music Piano Summer Festival.
A prizewinning pianist, Lily was recently awarded the Royal Academy of Music Piano and Strings Duo Prize. She has won multiple international competitions, including first prize at the Springboard Festival Concerto Competition, leading to a performance of Arensky’s Fantasia with the Brighton Youth Orchestra under Andrew Sherwood. She also secured a category win at the Rickmansworth Young Musician of the Year competition and won third prize at the Pietro Argento Competition in Italy.
Born in 2003, Lily began playing the piano at the age of six. She received her early musical training at The Purcell School of Music under Professor Tatiana Sarkissova and is currently continuing her studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Professor Joanna MacGregor CBE.
As a concert pianist, chamber musician, and curator, Lily’s diverse artistic background is deeply influenced by Bulgarian folk traditions. Passionate about championing lesser-known repertoire, she explores the intersection of classical music with other art forms.
She played a key role in founding the Forgotten Melodies Society, an organization dedicated to providing performance opportunities for conservatoire students in London and reviving rarely heard works. She later established the Muse and Fashion Collective, which seeks to bridge classical music with disciplines such as fashion and dance while fostering engagement with young audiences.
In September 2024, Lily was appointed Director of the Maria Vraka Music Academy, where she also serves as a faculty member, continuing her mission to inspire and educate the next generation of musicians.
Lily has received mentorship from renowned musicians such as Bernd Goetzke, Imogen Cooper, Dmitri Alexeev, Tabea Zimmermann, Steven Osborne, Barbara Szczepańska, Ludmil Angelov, Hinrich Alpers, Sontraud Speidel, and Nicholas Walker.
Her chamber music training includes coaching from Adrian Brendel, Nathan Braude, and Nicola Eimer. As an active chamber musician, she performed with the Kaleidoscope Collective as part of the Side-by-Side project at the Royal Academy of Music Chamber Music Festival and played Poulenc’s Two-Piano Concerto at the Bushey Festival.
Lily continues to develop her artistic vision through innovative programming, interdisciplinary collaborations, and a commitment to broadening the reach of classical music