Iliana Selimska is a multifaceted musician coming from a family of musicians. She is a graduate of "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov Academy of Music and specialized in harp with Professor Malina Hristova and opera singing with associate professor Lilyana Zhablenska. She has also taken part in master classes with Raina Kabaivanska and Gena Dimitrova, as well as with prof. Claudia Antonelli in the "Santa Cecilia" Academy of Music in Rome. Since 1991 she has been a soloist - harpist in the Symphony Orchestra of the BNR. She debuted as on the opera stage with "The Turn of the Screw" by Benjamin Britten. Countless concerts, performances, prizes, and tours abroad followed, but a true artist like her never succumbs to the brilliance of fame but guards art instead. She has also been searching for and performing very rare and mostly unknown works.

Iliana Selimska told us more about her love towards music:

"My first instrument when I started studying music was piano. Later I discovered the harp. I grew up in the opera theater and my love for this music emerged at an early age. I have always thought that I would sing one day. I started playing the harp when I was 13 and I became obsessed by this instrument. At the Academy of Music I also studied practicing opera singing. Later I had the chance to meet Rayna Kabaivanska. In my life playing the harp and singing intertwine in an interesting way. In 2002 I was invited to participate in the orchestra, which cooperated with the prestigious Chigiana International Festival and Summer Academy and lecturer there was Kabaivanska. I also went to her master classes in Bulgaria.”

Iliana Selimska told us more about her passion for singing, meetings with great artists and her favorite roles on stage:

"The stage is a place where I feel very comfortable, especially when I have my stage costume on. Making different kinds of music is a challenge for me. I have sung on many stages. I have had countless concerts with contemporary music of European composers. I have participated with my harp in a variety of ensembles performing chamber or symphonic works. I have also performed along with fellow singers - opera arias accompanied with beautiful harp music. Our famous composer Simeon Pironkov wanted me to perform his music. For many years I was fortunate to be a member of the orchestra at the master class in conducting at the Chigiana Academy in Siena (Italy), led by great conductor Gianluigi Gelmetti and Yuri Aronovich. A long term soloist there was great violinist Boris Belkin while Yuri Bashmet, Raina Kabaivanska, Renato Bruson led courses. I was lucky to meet great people in my life. For many years I have been a member of the Symphony Orchestra of the BNR. I have participated as a singer in almost all festivals in Bulgaria."

 Speaking about her favorite roles Selimska adds:" I can say that I mostly perform cheerful characters. All characters whose names end in "-ina are mine: Rosina in "Barber of Seville” or Norina "Don Pasquale". That is how my colleagues joke about my roles. The truth is that I want to perform Violetta in "La Traviata".

"My instrument is like a prima donna in an orchestra,” Selimska says. “It is very beautiful both visually and the way it sounds. French composers are those who mostly use the abilities of the harp. Of course, the ballets of Tchaikovsky are wonderful, and they make good use of the harp. When you're a single instrument in an orchestra, the responsibility that falls on you is great but on the other hand I feel independent. When I joined the chief conductor was Vasil Kazandzhiev, an outstanding musician and a great person. Ruslan Raychev, Milen Nachev, Emil Tabakov and now the young conductor Rossen Gergov followed. It is a pleasure to work with him. I am a great fan of French music for harp. I will have a Christmas concert conducted by Nayden Todorov in Bulgaria Hall and I have a lot of recording work to do. I am talking about music for foreign movies. This is another very interesting activity."

The audio file features the following works and fragments:

.  Pyotr Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake, a fragment

.  Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers, from "The Nutcracker"

.  Gaetano Donizetti - "Don Pasquale", a fragment

.  Raul Reade - "Summer" Suite for clarinet and harp

.  W.A Mozart - Aria of Susanna from Marriage of Figaro

English: Alexander Markov