Maria Sofianska was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and studied piano at the
State Conservatory of Music there, later becoming a member of the piano
faculty. Her devotion to chamber music was cultivated during her conservatory
years, and her concertizing in that area was encouraged through honors
in the Vittorio Gui International Competition in Florence, Italy,
in 1981.
Maria furthered her piano studies in Stuttgart, Germany, under Professor
Konrad Richter. Her studies under Richter and her duties later as assistant
in his classes on Lied Interpretation were decisive influences
on her further artistic development. Richter initiated the project, ""For
the Victims of Violence,"" intended for researching music of composers
who lost their lives in concentration camps. Involvement in this project
kindled Maria's desire to perform several of these works in concert.
In addition to devoting much of her time to the music of J. S. Bach,
Maria Sofianska is active in the making of radio and CD recordings. She
is a much sought-after chamber music partner with well-known concert artists
in international circles and is a member of the piano faculty at the State
Conservatory in Stuttgart, a position she has held since 1990.