Boriana Dimitrova - jazz saxophone

Her interest in jazz was not a casual affair- along with the classical music Boriana used to listen to some of the biggest jazz bands for hours at home.

Boriana Dimitova was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria.

She started taking piano lessons at the early age of four with Boris Avramov- the only tutor at the time that had practiced with such little kids. Her burning desire to play in a big orchestra became so apparent several years later that Boriana’s mother was persuaded to let her daughter play even another instrument too. Seven-year-old-Boriana made the oboe as her one and only choice! Later she joined the Sofia Music School with Mr. Guzelski, Mr. Kalev and Prof. Zhelyazov among her teachers.

She joined the Youth Brass Orchestra at the age of ten.

Her interest in jazz was not a casual affair- along with the classical music Boriana used to listen to some of the biggest jazz bands for hours at home.

She graduated with recognition in 2008 as jazz and pop lecturer specialized in Saxophone (diplomierte Musiklehrerin für Jazz und jazzverwandte Musik im Fach Saxophon) with Prof. Ernst-Fiete Felsch’s class. Meanwhile she had been a member in the Hamburg Saxophone Quartet (Hamburger Saxophonquartett) led by Prof.

In the late 80's then-seventeen-year-old Boriana was invited to join a project by the Sofia Youth Brass-band as an oboist. Ironically then, one of the saxophone players had left the band just 3 days before a big live concert. Taking it as a full challenge, on the back of her previous oboe experience and with only 3-day-rehearsals Boriana hit the stage as a saxophonist! Then she fully made up her mind of becoming a jazz musician and hasn't changed it since! It was an audacious act that pretty much surprised the so called "musical society" at the time. Then Boriana started self-developing her skills by both saxophone chords practice and theoretical studies even with the scantiest of sources she had. Later she even managed to break the wide spread notion that the brass section was a female forbidden territory. Best example was her first live performance in a jazz club where part of the audience shouted at her: "Baby, what you gonna do with this (the sax)? Why don't you better go home to get the dinner ready?"

Boriana is now grateful to all friends who have supported her along the way but she's even more grateful to those who have stood on her way!

She studied saxophone play in 1993 and 1994 with Dimitar Simeonov and Venko Zahariev.

Boriana Dimitrova was the first candidate accepted in the Bulgarian State Conservatory in 1994 campaign, specializing pop-jazz saxophone and then went on to graduate in 1998 as the first female saxophonist in Bulgaria!

Boriana had some very active years on the pop and rock scene during the 90's when she had successively been a member of Vladimir Ampov-Grafa's first formation "Zelen Haiver"; "Marathon" rock-band and later with "Atlas" whom she had many gigs with in Bulgaria and abroad.

Her joint co-operation with best friend and co-student from The Conservatory Ani Lozanova is among the most precious ones, she admits. Both ladies presented an unique vocal-and-saxophone-version of the massive hit "Summertime" at the "Golden Orpheus" Festival. They also co-operated with Teodosiy Spasov and "Trakia" Ensemble in a live concert for "MDR" TV in Kemnitz, Germany that raised charity for the Preslav Orphanage.

Boriana's dream pursuit of her jazz education became reality in 2001 when she was accepted in the famous Music and Theatre High School (Hochschule für Musik und Theater) in Hamburg, Germany. She graduated with recognition in 2008 as jazz and pop lecturer specialized in Saxophone (diplomierte Musiklehrerin für Jazz und jazzverwandte Musik im Fach Saxophon) with Prof. Ernst-Fiete Felsch's class. Meanwhile she had been a member in the Hamburg Saxophone Quartet (Hamburger Saxophonquartett) led by Prof. Claus Nagurski. "Boriana Dimitrova Trio" was formed in 2004 and have been doing live concerts and heading other various cultural events since then. Meanwhile "Boriana Dimitrova Quartet" was established in 2007 and even managed to record their first album in September of 2007.

Boriana was lucky to be among the students of Prof. Dr. Dieter Glawischnik in Hamburg, where her interest in jazz composition even more flourished!

In July 2008 Boriana has been accepted for a Masters Degree Class of Prof. Jürgen Friedrich at Musikhochschule Mannheim in Germany.