On 22 December, Sofia Art Institute presents a concert in its “Something More Contemporary” series, which brings together young musicians and inspiring international performers, creating a space for the exchange of experience, creativity and new musical ideas.

At the heart of the evening is pianist Sibila Konstantinova, Senior Lecturer in Piano Chamber Music at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. She will share the stage with young Bulgarian musicians Dorothy Dankina (violin), Liviya Doychinova (viola), Sibila Petrova (cello) and Vassilena Bobeva (double bass). Together, they will present a programme featuring the chamber music of Radamés Gnattali, the expressive world of Sofia Gubaidulina and Franz Schubert’s celebrated “Trout” Quintet.

The series was conceived by violinist Ivaylo Danailov, chamber music teacher at the National School of Music “Lyubomir Pipkov”, and Veneta Neynska, Artistic Director of Sofia Art Institute.

part of “something more contemporary”

THE PERFORMERS

Sibila Konstantinova, piano
Dorothy Dankina, violin
Liviya Doychinova, viola
Sibila Petrova, cello
Vassilena Bobeva, double bass

THE PROGRAMME

Radamés Gnattali (1906 – 1988)
Miniature Trio

Sofia Gubaidulina (1931 – 2025)
Pantomime for double bass and piano

Franz Schubert (1797 – 1827)
Piano Quintet “Trout”, D. 667
I. Allegro vivace
II. Andante
III. Scherzo: Presto
IV. Andantino – Allegretto
V. Allegro giusto

Bulgarian pianist Sibila Konstantinova is distinguished by the elegance and warmth of her playing. Her insightful interpretations of the works of the Viennese Classical composers, as well as those of Schubert and Brahms, have earned her the admiration of audiences far beyond her adopted home city of Vienna.

Born in Varna, Bulgaria, Sibila Konstantinova began her musical education at the State Music School “Dobri Hristov.” Upon graduation, she was awarded a full scholarship by the Corporation of London to pursue her studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she joined the class of Prof. Joan Havill. She obtained both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance and subsequently became an Artist Fellow at GSMD. Before moving to Vienna to specialize in chamber music under Avedis Kouyoumdjian at the University of Music and Performing Arts, she received numerous awards from institutions including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund, and the Myra Hess Foundation.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Sibila has performed extensively throughout Europe in prestigious venues such as the Barbican Centre and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Wigmore Hall, the Glass Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna, and the Konzerthaus in Berlin. Her performances have been broadcast by the Bulgarian National Television and Radio, the Performance Channel (UK), Radio Ö1 (Austria), and Radio NDR4 (Netherlands).

Sibila Konstantinova is a founding member of the Stefan Zweig Trio, winners of the 2015 Joseph Haydn International Chamber Music Competition. The release of their debut CD, featuring trios by Korngold and Zemlinsky, received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for an OPUS Klassik Award.

A passionate teacher, Sibila has been a member of the faculty at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts (mdw) since 2013. She was appointed Senior Lecturer in Piano Chamber Music in 2021 and has since given masterclasses at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius, the Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, and at the Grafenegg, Großraming, and Ghent Festivals as part of the European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA).

Dorothy Dankina was born in 2008 and began studying violin in 2014 at the Lyubomir Pipkov National Music School in Sofia, with teacher Milena Valeva. Between 2018 and 2025 she took part in masterclasses given by Mincho Minchev, Dimitar Burov, Moni Simeonov, Filip Draganov, Pavel Vernikov, Rūta Lipinaitytė and Yue Chen. Her most recent competitions were in 2025, and she won third prize in every one of them: the “MAGIC” International Competition for German and Austrian Music, the “Cantus Firmus” International Competition, and the Prof. Nedyalka Simeonova International Violin Competition.

Livia Doychinova is a 15-year-old student at the Lyubomir Pipkov National Music School. She was admitted to the school at the age of 7, viola class of Ralitsa Kazandzhieva. She has taken part in music competitions including the “The Muses” Festival (2023), the “Road to Glory” National Competition (2024) and the Svetoslav Obretenov National Competition (2026). She has successfully completed masterclasses with Mincho Minchev, Momchil Terziyski, Rumen Tsvetkov and others. She plays in two orchestras and in various chamber ensembles.

Sibila Petrova began studying cello at an early age. At the age of five she was admitted to the Lyubomir Pipkov National Music School in Sofia, in the class of Daniela Nikolaeva-Cherpokova.

She is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, including: First Prize at the 9th International Competition for String Instruments in Niš, Serbia (2019); First Prize at the 15th International Competition for Young Performers in Pernik (2021); Second Prizes at the “Music of Europe” National Competition in Burgas and at the “Dobrin Petkov” Competition for Young Performers of Orchestral Instruments in Plovdiv (2023); First Prize at the String Instruments Festival of the “Petar Krančević” Music School in Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia (2024); and Third Prize at the Geneva Junior Music Competition (2025).

Sibila Petrova has performed as a soloist and chamber musician on prestigious stages in Bulgaria. In April 2022 she performed as a soloist with the “Orpheus” Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Raycho Hristov, playing the Cello Concerto in C minor by Johann Christian Bach. In March 2025 she was a soloist with the Academic Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Prof. Dr. Deyan Pavlov, performing the Ballade for Cello in G minor, Op. 25 by Karl Davydov. She has also taken part in numerous chamber concerts and recitals, including at Bulgaria Hall and the Sofia City Art Gallery.

Alongside her solo activity, Sibila is actively engaged in chamber music and has taken part in masterclasses and intensive programs, including Quartet Intensive, Art & Shok, Allegra Masterclass, and the “Cellissimo” International Festival and Academy.

Vassilena Bobeva was born in 2008. She is a double bass player with an active concert career in Bulgaria and Europe, and has taken part in a number of orchestral and chamber music projects.

She began her musical education at the Prof. Pancho Vladigerov National School of Music and Dance Arts in Burgas, in the double bass class of Violeta Petrova. She continued at the Lyubomir Pipkov National Music School in Sofia, in the class of Prof. Tsvetomir Lazarov.

Her concert activity includes numerous appearances in Bulgaria and Europe with various orchestral ensembles and within international music projects and festivals. Among them are her performances with the “Pioneer” Philharmonic, including on the stage of Bulgaria Hall under the baton of Maestro Rossen Milanov. In 2026 Vassilena was part of the international tour of the European youth orchestra ESYO, with concerts in Italy and Slovenia.

She takes part in a number of musical and educational initiatives, including the “Roza” Summer Academy in 2025 and 2026, “Quartet Intensive” in 2026, and the “Solisimi” Youth Music Festival in three consecutive editions. Alongside classical music, her interests extend to other genres. She is also a member of the accordion ensemble Tango Motion, led by Elena Velichkova, whose repertoire centers on tango and jazz.

Vassilena has taken part in masterclasses given by the distinguished double bass players and teachers Margarita Kalcheva, Irina-Kalina Grudeva and Petar Slavov.