Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Boryana Popova. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Boryana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

As a full-time violinist in LA, I feel extremely lucky. Throughout the years, I made friendships and connections that have been incredibly valuable to me and my career. I consider myself lucky also because I am able to sustain a completely normal way of life as a musician in a foreign country. I don’t take it for granted, and I am more than thankful to the people who believed in me and took some of their time to help me grow – my teachers, my friends, my colleagues, and lately, my students.

I got my first jobs here in 2012, after I graduated from UCLA. It was very slow, at first – some students, some orchestra performances, few recordings here and there. It took me some time to build my reputation as a freelancer. And then there was Covid. The whole Art community took a big hit and had to take a huge step back, to stay put and wait for the moment to pass.

Thankfully, things are back to normal, for now.

Boryana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started playing the violin in my home town Varna (Bulgaria) at the age of 6. It wasn’t my choice, it wasn’t very pleasant at first either. It took some time but eventually it became my passion. People sometimes don’t realise how much work, dedication, discipline, sweat and tears go into becoming a good musician or artist. It’s a lifetime of studying, practising, listening, analysing… The stress and disappointments are a normal thing. And in a big town like LA, driving neurotically to make it from one rehearsal to another, from Santa Monica to Pasadena (in rush hour!), is an everyday occurrence. Or owning ridiculous amounts of black clothes for performances.
I am very proud of my work as a performer. I am a regular member of the Pacific Opera Project – a very fun and affordable opera company, based in LA. I have been with them since 2012. My current and most recent projects include performing with the Riverside Philharmonic, American Contemporary Ballet, Helix Collective, Mozart Classical Orchestra (Irvine), and Desert Symphony (Palm Springs). I am also actively performing as a solo and chamber music musician. Some of my future projects include string quartet performances at the Candlelight Concerts in Oxnard, San Bernardino and Bakersfield.

As a teacher, I am trying to take an individual approach towards my students. Every person is unique and has different needs and purpose. My ultimate goal is to set up proper understanding, expectations and appreciation of the instrument and music in general. Currently, I teach at the French Conservatory in Beverly Hills, Hyperium Conservatory (Palos Verdes), as well as privately.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I feel most satisfaction from my work, whenever I am able to enjoy myself on stage. Of course, I am happy to receive compliments from the audience, but I need to feel like I can control every moment on stage.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

As a musician, I am a big advocate of establishing a mandatory music education class in Public schools, since research has shown the many benefits of it for the kids. That’s a certain way to attract more audience, and open more teaching jobs for musicians.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @dr.boogie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bpopova
• Youtube: @bpopish

Image Credits
Jelena Turinski