Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean
Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean(bulg.: Анна-Мария Равнополска-Дийн) is a worldfamous Bulgarian harpist and composer.
Biography
Harpist Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean was born in Sofia. She studied with the remarkable Italian Professor and Harpist Liana Pasquali,where she was sent by the worldfamous Spanish harpist Nicanor Zabaleta. She continued her education in the USA with the pre-eminent Harpist and Distinguished Professor Susann McDonald, at the Indiana University, Bloomington. Both of her teachers were students of the most brilliant representatives of the French Harp School:Marcel Tournier (Liana Pasquali) and Henriette Renie (Susann McDonald).At the Indiana University, School of Music the young talent was awarded the coveted Artist Diploma, for "superior atistic achievement in Harp performance".She "received a rousing welcome" (Musical America) when she made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall in 1992.Ravnopolska-Dean had previously been introduced to American audiences on the McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase of WQXR radio in New York as one of the leading musical talents of her generation, a conclusion already confirmed by her outstanding participation in a series of important international competitions, including those of Garjilesse, Munich, and Jerusalem.
In 1992 she became one of the founders of the American University in Bulgaria. There she teaches several theorethical courses and also applied Harp and Piano.
Her talent can not be stopped by anything. Proof of this is her performing at the Eighth World Harp Congress, Geneva, 2002. Then she played the first harp in an ensemble of six harps and had a separate solo performance with partial paresis of her left hand.
In 2003 she discovered her talant for composing. This happened when she was an invited lecturer and performer at Harpcon 2003, Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Her first composition "Improvisation", was written in Bulgarian folk style.
Publications
Books, Articles and Transcriptions
- Modeling orchestration on harp techniques in the works of Wagner, Smetana and Stravinski, “WHC Review”, to be published
- The Harp in the orchestral works of Bulgarian Composers (1900-1930)
"Music yesterday-today", 2002
- The Harp as a Coloristic Instrument in the Beginning of the Twentieth Century ("Арфата като колористичен инструмент в началото на ХХ век"), 200 pp., ISBN 954-90353-9-5, Music Society “Vassil Stefanov”, 2001
- The Harp as a Coloristic Instrument in the works of Claude Debussy,
“Musical Horizons”, vol. 7 - 8, 2001, 21- 25, 27 - 33.
- Transcriptions for solo harp, Sofia String Institute, 1995
- Regular contributor to the World Harp Congress Review, 1981- present
- Arrangements for solo harp: Granados, Valses Poeticos, Albeniz, Suita Espagnol, 1988
Compositions
- Improvisation for harp solo, June 2003
- “The turtle’s castle” for harp solo, September 2003
- Four compositions for harp on Haiku poetry, October 2003
- Waltz and Lullaby for piano solo, November 2003
- Rap Tango for harp and voice, November 2003
- Suite of eight dances: Laendrer, Tango, Fandango, Horo,
Kazachok, Arabian dance, Pavane, April 2004
- "Fantasy on Traviata”, June 2005
- Two haiku pieces on Basho, February 2006
- “The mystic trumpeter” on Walt Whitman, February 2006
- Five haiku pieces “Solo Honkadorae Renga”, February 2006
Quotes
"is a brilliant harpist...communicates marvelously with the audience." Susann McDonald, 1991 "triumphed...the concert was a rare pleasure." Rosemary Statelova, Demokratsia, 1992 "gives spirited performances of harp music from around the world." Lyon and Healy Letter, 1994 "demonstrated mastery of the instrument, deep musical insights and stylistic understanding...extraordinary." Dr. Vernon Kliewer, Professor Emeritus, Indiana University, 1995 "exhibited a rare combination of emotional involvement and profound calmness on stage." Anna Chobanova, 1995 "Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean is flying amazingly headlong to the performance peaks. Overwhelming, incisive images, kaleidoscope of colors, flexible technique… ", “Music Yesterday, Today”, December 2003 "…Artistic, with high sensitivity and imagination, Anna-Maria managed the difficult program…”, Iveta Gruncharova, musicologist, Bulgarian National Radio, November 19, 2003 "…played with drive, aplomb, and sensitivity throughout…this performance will take a place amongst the best performances of my music…” Peter Blauvelt, composer, June 2003
References
Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean's official website
AMERICAN UNIVERSETY IN BULGARIA website