Vasilena Atanasova is a pianist and lecturer at the Vocal Faculty of the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia, Bulgaria.
She graduated from the “Lyubomir Pipkov” National School of Music, where she studied piano with Milka Miteva, and subsequently continued her education at the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” in the piano class of Prof. Dr. Daniela Andonova. Alongside her piano studies, she also studied choral conducting with Prof. Dr. Adriana Blagoeva.
Her professional interest in opera and in the specific nature of working with singers led her to Germany, where she completed a Master’s degree in Opernkorrepetition (Opera Coaching) at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, studying with Prof. Paul Weigold. In 2015, she undertook professional training at the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper).
In 2016, she was awarded a scholarship by the Richard Wagner Society in Bayreuth.
From 2017 to 2019, she worked as a freelance répétiteur at the Vocal Department of the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. In 2017, she also worked as a répétiteur at the Staatstheater Braunschweig.
Between 2018 and 2020, she worked as a répétiteur and Assistant to the General Music Director at the Theater für Niedersachsen in Hildesheim, Germany, where she participated in the preparation of numerous operatic and music-theatre productions.
In 2020, she returned to Bulgaria and has since been a member of the Vocal Faculty at the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov”, where she works extensively with young singers, contributing to their vocal, musical and stage development. She regularly participates as an opera répétiteur in academic productions, masterclasses, competitions, concerts and graduation performances, as well as in collaborative projects with Bulgarian and international vocal teachers, conductors and artists.
In 2026, she was awarded a PhD by the National Academy of Music “Prof. Pancho Vladigerov” for her dissertation entitled “Specific Characteristics of the Piano Part in Richard Strauss’s Chamber Vocal Music.”
Her academic and artistic interests focus on chamber vocal music, the German Lied, opera coaching, the artistic interaction between singer and pianist, and the role of the répétiteur in the professional development of the opera singer.
Alongside her teaching and performing activities, Vasilena Atanasova has developed a strong interest in music criticism and journalism, publishing reviews of opera productions, concerts and music publications.
She has appeared in numerous chamber recitals with a wide-ranging repertoire, collaborating with established opera singers both in Bulgaria and abroad.
A particularly important aspect of her professional work is the promotion of the vocal music of Richard Strauss, as well as Bulgarian vocal repertoire and its presentation to both Bulgarian and international audiences.
