Vivi Vassileva

About the artist

Vivi Vassileva is a German percussionist born in 1994 to a family of Bulgarian musicians. While initially trained in violin by her father, she was inspired to pursue percussion after hearing drummers on a beach in Bulgaria at age eight. She is renowned for her innovative programming and virtuosic performances, showcasing percussion as a versatile instrument capable of both powerful and poetic expression. Vassileva's repertoire extends beyond traditional classical instruments, incorporating percussion from various cultures, everyday utensils, and even recycled materials, reflecting her pioneering work in environmental projects. She commissions new works to expand the percussion repertoire and has collaborated with numerous artists and orchestras. In her latest endeavors, Vivi Vassileva was awarded the prestigious Leonard Bernstein Award in 2023. The 2025/26 season holds numerous highlights, including concerts with the Lathi Sinfonia, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Chamber Orchestra Zürich, Klangforum Wien, Zagreb Philharmonic, Britten Sinfonia, and l'Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. She will continue to lead the Wiener Konzerthaus's "The Percussive Planet" series, a commitment that began in 2023/24, and will return to significant festivals like the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. Recent highlights have also included the premiere of Sauli Zinovjev's percussion concerto "A Savage Beat" with the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, and recordings of Daniel Bjarnason's "Inferno" and Gregor A. Mayrhofer's "Recycling Concerto." Vassileva is passionate about exploring new sounds and pushing the boundaries of the percussion world, actively working with composers on new pieces and diverse projects.