Veselina Manikova

Veselina Manikova, Main Subject Teacher Violin at PCC since 2007, is an internationally acclaimed Bulgarian violinist, chamber musician, and long-standing professor. She has won numerous national and international awards. 

Veselina studied at the National Academy of Music in Sofia and the Prins Claus Conservatorium where she obtained her bachelor’s degree, before earning a master’s degree with the highest distinction – “a perfect combination of virtuosity and musicality” – at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. As a chamber musician, Veselina performs in ensembles ranging from duos to octets. She has been frequently invited to perform with different ensembles across Europe, and has appeared at leading festivals worldwide, such as the George Enescu Festival (Romania), Pacific Music Festival (Japan), Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival (Germany) and Fontainebleau Music Summer Session (France). She has held principal positions in festival orchestras across Europe and Asia, including a personal invitation from Valery Gergiev to join the Moscow Easter Festival Orchestra. Since 2002, she has been First Deputy Concertmaster of the Noord Nederlands Orkest. Her prize cabinet includes first prizes at Bulgarian national competitions, the Milka Violin Grant, and the Special Award of the Markow Totevy Foundation (USA). 

In 2025, Veselina became a certified coach, using the Direct Change Solution system for goal-settings and building realistic career plans. “My work with young students is aimed at developing technical mastery, motivation, emotional resilience, and healthy performance habits. My violin teaching method combines the strengths of the Russian and American violin schools. I integrate the discipline, precision, and tonal stability of the Russian tradition with the freedom, individuality, and expressiveness emphasized in the American approach. I strive to preserve each student’s uniqueness, while developing their technique, independent thinking, artistic freedom, intuition, and stage confidence. I help them with strategies for effective practice, audition preparation and encourage them to actively engage in solving musical and technical challenges and guiding them to grow both technically and creatively.”