Flute and piccolo player Nevena Atanasova is passionate about orchestral and chamber music. She recently completed training on the prestigious City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra training scheme and enjoys the mentorship of Marie-Christine Zupancic, Veronika Klirova, and Helen Benson.

She has performed as principal flute with the RBC Symphony Orchestra under Karen Ní Bhroin, the RCM Opera Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins, the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra under James Blair, and St Paul’s Opera. While studying at the Royal College of Music, she also took part in the Philharmonia sit-in scheme on several occasions.

A recent graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Nevena had the privilege of playing alongside Berlin Philharmonic Principal Oboist Jonathan Kelly as part of woodwind repertoire sessions.

Nevena has been part of various ensembles, including the NeKriMa Trio (flute, French horn, and piano), the “Mozart” Quartet, the Bach Reimagined Free Ensemble, the Marais Baroque Flute Trio Sonata group, and the RCM Wind Ensemble. Her achievements include first prize in the “Classical Ensembles” category at the Internet Music Competition in Belgrade, Serbia, and performances of the Mozart flute quartets at the Austrian Embassy.

Nevena is currently a member of Ensemble Matters, with whom she performed Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire at the Bloomsbury Festival. Her musical and stage experience has led to success in several international and national competitions, including second prize at the International Competition “Young Virtuosos” in Sofia, Bulgaria.

As a young soloist, Nevena performed Carl Nielsen’s Flute Concerto with Konstantin Dobroykov and the Plovdiv Symphony Orchestra (now the Orchestra of Opera Plovdiv). Other scholarships and awards include the RCM Heddy Simpson Award, the Zetland Foundation Award, the “Dobrin Petkov” Prize for musical achievements and creativity, and the Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumental Prize awarded by the Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Trust.

Proud of her Bulgarian heritage, Nevena is currently working on recovering, collecting, and recording flute music by Bulgarian composers. A growing collection of recordings will soon become available.

Nevena’s commitment to continuous learning is evident through her regular attendance at courses and masterclasses. She has had the privilege of learning from acclaimed flute and piccolo players such as Peter Verhoyen, Mario Caroli, and Felix Renggli.

She completed her Bachelor’s degree at the Royal College of Music in London under Sue Thomas, Kathleen Stevenson, and Rachel Brown, and her Master’s degree at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where she studied with Marie-Christine Zupancic, Helen Benson, and Andrew Lane.

Nevena plays a custom silver flute by Wm. S. Haynes with a silver headjoint by Miguel Arista.