Ralitza Patcheva

Pianist Ralitza Patcheva has been called a “phenomenon” (The Washington Post) and praised for her “elegant pianistic technique”, “courageous, innovative interpretation” (Dolomiten, Italy) and “crystal tone; amalgamation of witty virtuosity, powerful expression and profound sensitivity” (Thuringer Landeszeitung, Germany). She is a prizewinner at the 51^st International Competition Busoni in Italy, the Washington International Piano Competition and the National Symphony Orchestra Young Soloists competitions. She also won second prize at the International Chamber Music Competition “Accademia di Citta di Pinerolo” in Italy together with cellist Vasily Popov.

Ralitza Patcheva has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC, the Jena Philharmonic (Germany), the Haydn Orchestra (Italy), the Arlington Symphony, the Alexandria Symphony and the Williamsburg Symphonia. She has appeared in recitals at the Kennedy Center, the Phillips Collection, the Embassy Series, as well as major international concert venues the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall, Gasteig and Villa Musica Mainz and Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh.

In 2005 Ralitza Patcheva recorded a double CD with works dedicated to famous pianists of the turn of the 20^th century. A copy of this album, titled "Dedicated to A Friend" is kept at the International Piano Archives of the University of Maryland. In 2007 she performed the piano version of the Enigma Variations by Sir Edward Elgar at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC. In 2009 she performed the Goldberg Variations of J.S.Bach in Washington DC. In 2013 Ralitza commenced a recital project called "A Room With a Symphony", the first part of which is performing the solo piano arrangements by Otto Singer II of the symphonies of Johannes Brahms.

Ralitza Patcheva has more than twenty concertos in her repertoire and a number of recital programs, encompassing major works of Schumann, Brahms, Liszt, Stravinsky, Bach, Schubert, Haydn, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Ravel as well as rarely performed compositions by F. Martin, K. Szymanowski, R. Hahn, P. Pabst etc.

She is known for daring programming, like performing a harpsichord/piano recital at the Phillips Collection or premiering newly composed works. In 2001 Ralitza performed the world premiere of "Glasshouse", a piece for piano and electronic soundscape dedicated to her by the German composer Marco Hertenstein. In recent years she has enjoyed collaborations with composers Frances McKay, Stanislava Stoytcheva, Jessica Krash, Jonathan Bingham and Samuel Post.

At present Ralitza Patcheva is an associate chair of the chamber music program at Levine Music and adjunct faculty at Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at the Catholic University of America. She keeps and active performing schedule and has a private piano studio in Washington DC. She is the associate artistic director of the Bulgarian Music Society in Washington DC.

Ralitza Patcheva holds advanced degrees in piano performance and vocal accompaniment from the University of Maryland, the Hochschule fur Musik in Munich and Peabody Conservatory. Her early training took place at the Levine School of Music in Washington DC and the State Music School in Sofia, Bulgaria. She has studied with Andre Watts, Eliso Virsaladze, Santiago Rodriguez, Helmut Deutsch, Julian Martin, Irena Orlov and Nina Aladshem. She has also studied harpsichord with Webb Wiggins and Lois Narvey and organ with Harvey van Buren.

Dr. Patcheva has been a lecturer at the University of Maryland-College Park and adjunct faculty at the Hochschule fur Musik in Munich, Germany and the Georgetown University in Washington. From 2001 to 2003 she was a Young Artist at the “Villa Musica” foundation in Mainz, Germany.

Since 2002 she co-directs the Brown Bag Music Series at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington DC with cellist Vasily Popov. The series offer free noontime concerts on the first Thursday of every month.