Bulgarian/American pianist Rossitza Banova has won First Prize in the UFAM International Piano Competition in Paris, France, Second Prize in the International Competition “Music and the Earth” in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Fourth Prize at the Usti Nad Labem Piano Competition in the Czech Republic.
As an international solo recitalist and chamber musician, Ms. Banova has performed in Austria, Bulgaria, China, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Poland, Russia, Spain, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States, including the Bay Area, Bloomington, Boston, Las Vegas, and Portland, OR. In addition, she has performed in master classes with artists Emmanuel Ax, Gilbert Kalish, Andrjei Jasinski, and others.
Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, Ms. Banova began piano studies at the age of five, and went on to study at the State Music High School, and later at the State Music Academy “PanchoVladigeroff” of Bulgaria. Her teachers included Kalina Gueorguieva, Lilyana Stoykova, Konstantin Stankovitch, Yovcho Krushev, and Anton Dikov. In 1997, she was accepted at the San Francisco Conservatory on a full tuition scholarship as a student of Professor Paul Hersh, where she won the Concerto Competition before completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance. Rossitza completed her Masters and Doctorate Degrees on full tuition scholarships at Indiana University Jacobs School of music under the guidance of Prof. Evelyne Brancart and Prof. Emile Naoumoff.
Rossitza holds the prestigious Liberace Scholarship from the Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, an award she has received annually since 1999.
Ms. Banova was professional faculty for the Young Pianists Program, and an Associate Instructor in Piano at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Later, during the period of 2012—2013, Dr. Banova was a Piano Professor at Ludong University in Yantai, China and performed recitals, presented lectures, and master classes in Yantai, Weihai, and Shanghai, China. The following year, Dr. Banova worked as a Full Time Piano Lecturer at Universitat Pelita Harapan in Lippo Karawaci, Indonesia, where she was also the Chair of the Piano Accompanying Department.
Currently Rossitza is working as a Chair of the Piano Department and Piano Faculty at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat, Oman.