Bulgarian violist Vanessa Hristova performs internationally as a soloist, chamber musician and principal violist and has appeared at the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin. Recently she received the special prize at the XXVI International Music Competition Dobrich, second prize at the King’s Peak Competition, second prize at the Beethoven Viola Concours, third prize at the North London Competition. Vanessa has been invited to festivals including Sofia Music Weeks International Festival, IMS Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, Festival Academy Budapest, Varna Summer International Music Festival, Encuentro de Santander.

As a soloist she has performed with a number of orchestras and has recitals around Europe. She has collaborated with conductors such as Vladimir Jurowski and Maxim Vengerov, performing as Principal Violist of all the Royal College of Music Orchestras amongst others. She was selected for the English National Opera Evolve Scheme. She has recorded a CD in Abbey Road Studios as a lead viola of LGT Young Soloists. As a chamber musician she has toured around Europe and recorded for the Bulgarian National Radio. She is part of the award-winning Adeos Duo, which is mentored by the Marmen Quartet and Maxim Rysanov. Vanessa has been mentored by Alexander Zemtsov, Tatjana Masurenko, Lars Anders Tomter, Wilfried Strehle, Máté Szücs.

In 2023 Vanessa finished her Master of Performance at the Royal College of Music as an Elsie Gertrude Martin Scholar in the class of Nathan Braude. She is a prize winner of the Viola Competition and also has a scholarship for the Artist Diploma Course. Vanessa is supported by the RPS Julius Isserlis Scholarship and the Help Musicians Postgraduate Award.

She plays on a Stefan-Peter Greiner and Mark Jennings viola, kindly loaned by IMS Prussia Cove and a W. E. Hill & Sons bow, kindly provided by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.