Bulgarian-American violinist BELLA HRISTOVA has won international acclaim for her “expressive nuance and rich tone” (New York Times) and “impressive power and control” (Washington Post). An Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, she has also won First Prize in the Michael Hill International Violin Competition, and is a Laureate of the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.
Hristova has performed extensively as a soloist with orchestras across the United States, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and New Zealand. Highlights of the 2025-26 season include a return to Carnegie Hall performing Dvořák’s Violin Concerto with the New York String Orchestra, conducted by Jaime Laredo, debuts with the Shenzhen and Wuxi Symphony Orchestras, and the completion of her Lineage commissioning project.
A champion of music by living composers, her commissioning project Lineage showcases six new solo violin works by Dai Wei, Gloria Kravchenko, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Eunike Tanzil, Joan Tower, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. In 2015, Hristova was the featured soloist for a consortium of eight major orchestras for a new concerto commissioned for her by her husband, acclaimed composer David Serkin Ludwig.
As a recording artist, Hristova has released a variety of albums, including Bella Unaccompanied, featuring works by John Corigliano, Kevin Puts, Astor Piazzolla, Nathan Milstein, and J.S. Bach, and the complete Beethoven and Brahms sonatas with pianist Michael Houstoun. Most recently, Hristova recorded Ludwig’s violin concerto with JoAnn Falletta and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Hristova began violin studies at the age of six in her native Bulgaria. She later studied with Ida Kavafian at the Curtis Institute of Music, and received her Artist Diploma studying with Jaime Laredo at Indiana University. Hristova started her career with Young Concert Artists, and plays on a 1655 Nicolo Amati violin. She lives in New York City with her husband David and their four beloved cats.
Photo credit: Dario Acosta