On December 3, 2025, violinist Sophie Branson (19) performed Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor with the Sofia Sinfonietta under the baton of its artistic director, Svilen Simeonov. The sold-out concert took place in the historic hall of the Central Military Club, located in the very heart of Sofia.
Despite the technical and musical complexity of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto—one of the most luminous and poetic works of the Romantic era and a cornerstone of the golden violin repertoire—Sophie delivered a confident and inspired performance. Her interpretation demonstrated refined stylistic awareness and a deep understanding of Mendelssohn’s musical language.
The playing was marked by purity of intonation, natural musicality, and a carefully shaped dramatic arc: phrases were filled with air and breath, while lyrical passages radiated inner light and sincerity. A striking combination of technical freedom and artistic maturity—rare for such a young age—left a strong impression on the audience.
The hall, with a seating capacity of approximately 450, was completely full, requiring additional chairs to be placed near the stage. The audience responded with great enthusiasm, rewarding Sophie with long and warm applause. At the conclusion of the concert, she was presented with a beautiful basket of flowers by a representative of the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria.
The December performance marked the third collaborative project between the Zakhar Bron School of Music and the Sofia Sinfonietta over the past two years. The first two projects, held in June 2024 and February 2025, were also met with great success.
During the 2024 project, the following works were performed by young violinists of the Zakhar Bron School of Music:
Timmy and Aurea Wang study in the violin class of Inna Khriplovich. Eva Solodovska is a violin student of Liana Tretiakova, the founder and lead violin teacher of the school.
In February 2025, Sophie Branson performed Johannes Brahms’s Violin Concerto in its entirety with the Sofia Sinfonietta in Sofia as part of her preparation for an important concert in March at the Tonhalle Zurich with the Bodensee Philharmonie Konstanz, conducted by its artistic director Gabriel Venzago.
Thus, the December 2025 concert marked Sophie’s third appearance with the Sofia Sinfonietta. Over time, she has developed a strong artistic connection with both the orchestra and Maestro Svilen Simeonov (in the photo above), whose support during rehearsals and on stage has been invaluable.
Together with Liana Tretiakova, her violin teacher at the Zakhar Bron School of Music since early childhood, Sophie began working on Mendelssohn’s concerto in October—just two months before the performance in Sofia. In addition to intensive lessons at the music school, Sophie practices extensively at home, dedicating five to six hours daily to the violin.
In the weeks leading up to the Sofia concert, she also performed the concerto several times at the school concerts in Zurich with piano accompaniment. This combination of focused instrumental study, intensive individual practice, and regular stage experience enabled Sophie to prepare thoroughly for the sold-out orchestral concert in Sofia.
In Sofia itself, three rehearsals with the orchestra were held: two general rehearsals on Monday and Tuesday, followed by a full dress rehearsal on the day of the concert, Wednesday, December 3.
As Sophie has been travelling independently to concerts across Europe for the past two years, the Sofia engagement was no exception. During the three days leading up to the performance, her violin teacher Liana Tretiakova worked closely with her online, accompanying Sophie with hour-long online lessons throughout all three days of rehearsals.
Sophie recorded the orchestral rehearsals on video and sent them to her teacher, who carefully reviewed the recordings and provided detailed feedback, making the necessary artistic and technical adjustments to Sophie’s playing. This remote collaboration proved highly effective and played an important role in the final preparation for the concert.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the orchestra and Maestro Svilen Simeonov for providing generous rehearsal time, which made it possible to achieve such a high artistic level, as well as for their guidance and support on stage. Such support is invaluable at this stage of artistic development and is deeply appreciated.
Last but not least, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Liana Tretiakova, Sophie’s violin teacher for the past sixteen years, since Sophie was just three years old. Liana is truly an exceptional pedagogue, and there are very few examples worldwide of a violin teacher successfully guiding and developing a student over such a long period of time.
On December 23 and 26, Sophie Branson will perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor on the main stage of the Tonhalle Zurich with the Zurich Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Heiko Mathias Förster, as part of the Grand Christmas Concert Series.
We warmly wish our young soloist every success and hope that these festive concerts will be played to full houses.
Tags: Liana Tretiakova, Sofia Sinfonietta, Sophie Branson
Categories: Concerts with Orchestra
