Biography
Lily Petrova is a pianist with the imagination and nerve to build the room she wants to play in. Based in London, she performs as a soloist and chamber musician, and is equally drawn to contemporary music and collaborations with film and visual art.
She made her solo recital debut at Wigmore Hall in 2026, and has also performed at the Southbank Centre, Cadogan Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Steinway Hall and Zala Bulgaria. A frequent performer at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in London, Lily has performed at a reception welcoming Bulgaria’s Minister of Culture and has recorded for ABRSM. Her 2026/27 season includes appearances at Farley Festival and Petworth Festival.
Lily has performed across Europe and Canada. In 2026, she completed the FUSE residency at the Banff Centre in Canada, collaborating with actor John de Lancie, conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser and members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Her festival appearances include Piano Extravaganza in 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 Kurtág’s Játékok.
Her awards include the Royal Academy of Music’s Franz Reizenstein Prize and Regency Award for Outstanding Achievement, as well as the Boise Scholarship from Help Musicians. She has also won the Springboard Festival Concerto Competition, Third Prize at the Pietro Argento International Music Competition and the Royal Academy of Music Piano & Strings Duo Prize.
Her recent work has included collaboration with visual artist Kathy Hinde and live improvisation to silent film. She is a founding member of the contemporary and experimental Flux Ensemble, and is a Leverhulme Scholar undertaking postgraduate study at the Royal Academy of Music with Joanna MacGregor CBE.
Alongside her performing work, Lily is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of The Piano House, Director of the Maria Vraka Music Academy, and Co-Founder and Trustee of the Maria Vraka Foundation.
