Biography

Prize-winning pianist Lily Petrova has performed at leading venues including Wigmore Hall, the Southbank Centre, Cadogan Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Steinway Hall and Bulgaria Hall. A frequent performer at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute, she was invited to perform at the welcoming ceremony for the Bulgarian Cultural Minister. Upcoming highlights of the 2026/27 season include performances at the Farley Festival and Petworth Festival, musician in residence with the precept.concept.perception programme in Slovenia (2026–27), and a recording project at Abbey Road Studios.

Internationally, she has performed across Europe and Canada, most recently completing the “Fuse” residency at the Banff Centre in Canada, where she collaborated with artists including actor John de Lancie, conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser and members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Her festival appearances also include Piano Extravaganza (Bulgaria), the Bushey Festival—where she performed Poulenc’s Two-Piano Concerto—and the Royal Academy of Music Summer Piano Festival, where she took part in the first complete performance of Kurtag’s Játékok.

A prize-winning artist, Lily is the recipient of the Royal Academy of Music’s Franz Reizenstein Prize and the Regency Award for Outstanding achievement, and has won several international competitions including the Jacob Barnes Award, the Springboard Festival Concerto Competition and Third Prize at the Pietro Argento International Music Competition (Italy). She is also a winner of the Royal Academy of Music Piano and Strings Duo Prize, and was recently awarded support from the Royal Academy of Music to direct and produce her own music film.

She has received mentorship from distinguished artists including Tabea Zimmermann, Dmitry Alexeev, Imogen Cooper and Steven Osborne, and has collaborated with musicians including Adrian Brendel and Nicola Eimer.

Lily’s artistic practice extends beyond the traditional recital format, integrating music with film and visual media, with a particular focus on contemporary repertoire. She has collaborated with visual artist Kathy Hinde and has improvised live to silent film. She is a founding member of the contemporary and experimental Flux Ensemble, and performs with violinist Takanori Okamoto as the Azurite Duo.

Alongside her performing career, Lily is Director of the Maria Vraka Music Academy, where she has led significant growth, and is co-founder and trustee of the Maria Vraka Foundation, established in 2025 to support accessible music education and emerging artists.

She is currently pursuing postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music with Joanna MacGregor, where she is supported by the Leverhulme Trust as a Leverhulme Scholar.