Ilina Ilieva - viola

Born in Bulgaria, Ilina Ilieva is a musician dedicated to establishing the viola as a solo instrument on the contemporary music scene. Her repertoire includes the “big three” viola concertos—Bartók, Walton, and Hindemith—as well as virtuoso works by Ney, Campagnoli, and Paganini. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras such as the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble, the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Sofia Philharmonic, performing some of the most demanding works for viola and orchestra.

At the age of 20, Ilieva released her debut CD, Viola la Musica, featuring some of the most beloved works for solo viola.

As an orchestral musician, Ilieva has performed in prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Concertgebouw, and Musikverein, and has participated in major festivals including BBC Proms, Robeco Summer Nights, and Young Euro Classics. For three years, she served as principal viola of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO). Since 2019, she has been a member of the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Ilina is deeply passionate about chamber music. She has had the opportunity to perform some of its masterpieces, with a repertoire spanning composers such as Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Borodin, Mozart, Beethoven, Prokofiev, Brahms, and many others, on stages across Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean. Since 2025, she has been a member of the string quartet “Tone” with which she performs extensively.

Ilieva holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia, where she studied viola under Prof. Vladislav Andonov. In 2024, she also obtained a Performer Diploma in Solo Viola from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University (IU), where she studied with Prof. Stephen Wyrczynski.