Denitsa Kazakova
Born in Pleven, Bulgaria, Denitsa Kazakova began studying the violin at the age of four with her mother. At the age of eight, the Ministry of Culture granted her the exceptional privilege of studying with Anton Hadjiatanassov, professor at the National Academy of Music in Sofia.

Taking competition as a game and a means of surpassing herself, from the age of 7 she was a prizewinner in numerous national and international competitions. After winning first prize in the Obretenov national competition for young violinists, she went on to win other national first prizes in 1978, 1983 and 1985. In 1985 she won the ‘Concertino Prague’ radio competition, and in 1988 the International J.S. Bach Competition in Leipzig. Invited by Pierre Amoyal, she joined his class at the Lausanne Conservatoire in 1990, where six months later she was awarded first prize for virtuosity with congratulations from the jury. In 1993, she won first prize and the gold medal at the Maria Canals International Music Interpretation Competition in Barcelona, and the Samson François Association prize at the Jacques Thibaud Competition in Paris. In 1997, her interpretation of Bach's Chaconne was awarded a special prize at the R. Lipizer International Competition in Italy. From 1996 to 1998 she studied violin with Marie-Annick Nicolas and contemporary music with Jean-Jacques Balet at the Geneva Conservatoire.

In 1997, she won first prize in the Haydn-Mozart competition organised by the Association des amis du Conservatoire, and went on to win first prize for virtuosity in 1998 and the teaching diploma in 2001. Later, at the same institution, she took baroque violin lessons with Florence Malgoire, and in 2007 obtained the postgraduate certificate with honours. The Duo Nova she formed with guitarist Jean-Christophe Ducret went on to win first prize in several international competitions in Europe, and from 1992 to 2015 she gave an intense concert schedule.

As a soloist or chamber musician, Denitsa Kazakova contributes to enriching the repertoire by premiering and recording works dedicated to her by composers such as Jean-Luc Darbellay, Ulrich Kohler, Eric Gaudibert, Johan Treichel, Christian Favre, Jacques Demierre and Xavier Dayer.

She has made many wonderful musical encounters, pursuing a career as a soloist and chamber musician, while devoting herself to teaching violin to young musicians at the Neuchâtel and Lausanne Conservatoires.