denitsa mineva : biography

denitsa gancheva mineva is a music artist and a teacher based in berlin, germany. she was born in veliko turnovo, bulgaria. at the age of five denitsa enters the local primary music school and begins to play the violin. she wins a prize in a violin competition when she is nine. while in the same school denitsa is part of a string quartet and a children's symphonic orchestra both of which win first prize in the annual european music festival in neerpelt, belgium in 1987. at the age of 13, denitsa mineva leaves her family to move to the city of rousse, bulgaria, where she is admission at the prof. vesselin stoyanov music high school for gifted children. her first instrument remains the violin. however she begins to play the piano as part of the school's curriculum. as a high school student ms mineva is part of the youth symphonic orchestra of her school which takes part of the annual international festival march days. in 1992 denitsa graduates the music high school and enters the academy of music, dance and fine art in plovdiv, bulgaria (major in violin with prof. nedyalcho todorov). her interests then move towards teaching and here she is trained to become a music teacher in kindergarten, primary, secondary and high school. ms mineva graduates the music academy in 1999 with a bachelor's degree. she works as a violinist-orchestrant as part of the group of the first violins at the konstantin kissimov music theatre in veliko turnovo, bulgaria in the period 1994-2001. from 2001 till 2007 denitsa mineva works with private violin and piano students in scotland, oman and turkey. while still enjoying working with private students in turkey, in 2004 ms mineva starts her three-year career as a music teacher in english language to students age 3-15 at the istanbul international school.  during the same years denitsa develops an increasing interest in applying the method of carl orff when working with children (orff - schulwerk; schooling through working = learning by doing). however her personal growth moves her into the field of free contact improvisation, instant composition and sound exploration.
in 2007 ms mineva is offered the position of a music specialist at the glasgow steiner school in scotland. however personal circumstances bring her to berlin, germany, where she founds spiral school of music. denitsa mineva is also an active performer involved in numerous solo and collaborative projects. 

personal achievements:

1982 : third prize in a violin competition in rousse, bulgaria

1987 : first super prize cum laude in european music festival in neerpelt, belgium as a memeber of the children's symphonic orchestra of the music school in verliko turnovo, bulgaria

1987 : first prize in european music festival in neerpelt, belgium as a member of the string quartet korda of the music school in veliko turnovo, bulgaria

1990 : a tour to greece with the youth symphonic orchestra of the music highschool vesselin stoyanov, rousse, bulgaria

1988-1992 : participation in the annual international festival march music days with the youth symphonic  orchestra of the music highschool vesselin stoyanov, rousse, bulgaria

2007 : transit istanbul festival (improvisation days) :
1. sound exploration workshop with pascal battus
2. contact improvisation & instant composition - music and dance workshop with 
barre phillips & julyen hamilton

2008 : translation in free musical speech workshop part of total music meeting '08 (international art festival for improvised music), berlin, germany

2012 : founder & coordinator of spiral school of music, berlin, germany

certificates:
1. certificate of english from st. andrews university, scotland, 2001
2. certificate from carl orff seminar, alev okullari, istanbul, turkey, 2004
3. certificate from transit-istanbul festival, improvisation days workshops, 2007