Darin Varbanov
Violin |
Mr. Darin Varbanov graduated as a violinist from The State Musical Academy-Sofia, Bulgaria in 1991 (MA-Violin), under Prof. Anton Hadjiatanasov. For the next 12 years, he worked as a violin teacher at The National School of Music-Sofia, Bulgaria. Studying and working at both of these institutions has provided him with opportunities to gain and enhance his professional experience, which enabled him to perform as a violinist, since 1978 till now, in many concerts - solo recitals, chamber music concerts and orchestras in different cities in Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, England, Singapore and Thailand. In 1980 he was awarded First Prize at the Cleveland Inter-Tie Competition in Middlesbrough, England, as a member of the violin quartet “Violino”.
Darin Varbanov has acquired extensive experience and possesses a wide repertoire as a violin player. Additionally, he has enriched his qualifications in the area of chamber music. In 1997, he completed a two year Chamber Music Master Class under Prof. Maia Patroneva - at The State Academy of Music “Pancho Vladigerov” - Sofia, Bulgaria. Currently, he plays on a violin, which has been crafted by the accomplished violin maker Andrian Andreev, whose design inspiration came from an A. Stradivari violin, dated 1715. As a violin teacher at The National School of Music “Lubomir Pipkov”, Sofia, Bulgaria, Darin Varbanov was responsible for the organization and production of more than one hundred students’ concerts, which included recitals, orchestra soloists, chamber music and appearances. Moreover, he assisted Lubomir Baharov in teaching the violin at his Private Violin Studio. During this time, he prepared violin students to compete in different violin competitions in Europe, as “Klassisk Musikkonkurrence” - Copenhagen, Denmark, “Kocian International Violin Competition”, Czech Republic, Young Music Talents- Sofia, Bulgaria. He was a co-organizer of The National Contest for children violinists – Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria from 1993 till 1996. In 2003 Darin Varbanov was appointed violin teacher at a private music school in Singapore, where he set up and taught violin classes till 2006. In October 2006, he established his own Violin Art Studio, which in November 2008 developed into music school, named MUSICAL ART STUDIO. Concurrently, he held the position of Violin Teacher (Adjunct) at the School of the Arts, Singapore from January 2008 to May 2013. From 2013 to 2015, Darin Varbanov resided in the USA, Virginia, where he taught the Violin at Harmonia School of Music and Art (Vienna, VA) and Harmonic Music Studios (Washington DC), as well as private students, including students, who take live online violin lessons. In 2015 Darin moved back to Singapore and resumed his teaching at Musical Art Studio. |
Vera Boyadzhieva
Violin |
Ms Vera Boyadzhieva was raised and educated in the city of Varna, Bulgaria. She started her music education at the age of 5 at the State School of Music in her city. She gave her first performance at the age of 11 and has since taken part in many solo concerts and competitions. She graduated and received her Master’s Degree in violin from State Academy of Music-Sofia, Bulgaria where she studied with Prof. Ginka Gichkova( who is a pupil of the great Bulgarian violinist Emil Kamilarov – a Paganini Violin Competition winner) After she finished her highest education, Vera joined the orchestra of New York Harlem Theatre as a freelancer and for the past 17 years she took part periodically in their performances all over Europe and Japan. At the same time in 1996, she commenced work in Varna Symphony Orchestra and later in the State Opera Varna. Moreover, Ms Vera taught the violin at the High School of Music in Varna, Bulgaria, as well as teaching private students since 2000.
In 2006, she relocated to Cairo, Egypt where she worked for 5 years as a member of the Cairo Opera Orchestra in the position of an assistant-concertmaster. During her years in Cairo she taught the violin at the British International School and Modern English School. She became very popular as a tutor especially after one of her students won the first price in “Jugend Musiziert” Competition- Germany. Since 2011, Ms Vera has been teaching the Violin in Singapore and In August 2013, she took the position of Violin Teacher at Musical Art Studio, Singapore. |
Ethel Poh Qian Ting
Piano and Music Theory |
Ms Ethel Poh graduated from the University of Birmingham with a Bachelor of Music (1st Class Hons) in July 2021. Having had finished the 1st year undergraduate course in Raffles Academy Music program when she was still in secondary school, she had gone straight to 2nd year in university.
Ethel has an LRSM in piano (2nd diploma) and had achieved distinction in her dipABRSM in piano (1st diploma). She had also achieved a Grade 8 Theory with Merit. On the violin, she has also achieved ATCL (1st diploma) in 2016. In university, she had also picked up voice as an instrument and is currently pursuing a diploma in voice. Music awards that she has recently received are:
Having studied music in school, having taken MEP in both RGS and RJC, and held the MOE MEP Scholarship in JC, she also currently relief teaches music in schools like Raffles Junior, Radin Mas Primary and Teck Ghee Primary School. She is currently also a choir conductor and pianist in various school choirs like Fuhua Primary School, St. Joseph Institution (Junior), Gan Eng Seng Primary School and South View Primary School. |
Chow Sue Leng Pearl
Violin Group Class Teacher Kids' Musicianship Teacher |
Ms Pearl Chow started learning the violin at the age of 3 with Mr Darin Varbanov. Throughout the years of her learning and playing the violin, she has participated in all the concerts hosted by Mr Darin Varbanov every year, as well as outdoor concerts hosted by other organizations. She also participated in World Strings Day outdoor recital in 2019 in celebration of Singapore’s National Day. She is also actively involved in her church every month as a string player.
Pearl has completed her Grade 8 in both piano and violin in 2019 and 2020 respectively. She also has a Grade 5 in music theory and graduated from her secondary school education with Music as one of her subjects in her GCE O Levels in 2016. Pearl obtained her bachelor’s in Psychology in 2022 and has a Diploma in Early Childhood Studies. The nature of her studies has provided her experience in working and teaching young children. She has worked with typical children as well as children with special needs from the age of 3 to 7. She has taught the subject Music and Movement to preschool children through demonstrating violin playing and developing their interests in music. |
Chooi Jing Yen
Violin and Guitar |
Born and raised in Singapore, Mr Chooi Jing Yen received the bulk of his violin instruction under the tutelage of Mr Darin Varbanov. In 2010, at the age of just 20, Jing Yen was awarded the DipABRSM Principles in Instrumental Teaching (Violin), which, amongst other things, involved him writing a thesis on the teaching methods of the (relatively) modern contemporaries Carl Flesch and Ivan Galamian.
Jing Yen formally joined Musical Art Studio as a violin instructor in 2011. That same year, he also enrolled as a full-time student in the Singapore Management University School of Law, where he was involved with SMU's resident guitar ensemble, Guitarissimo. He continues to feature in performances post-graduation. Jing Yen's familiarity with the violin and guitar lend a fresh and unique perspective in his teaching of both instruments. In 2016, Jing Yen was admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore, but he continues to pursue his musical interests with undiminished enthusiasm. |
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Our Ex-teachers
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Ms Elena Metodieva is a pianist, who graduated from The State Academy of Music, Sofia , Bulgaria. After graduation, she held the position of Assistant Professor in chamber music at The State Academy of Music and The National Academy of Theatre and Movie in Sofia , Bulgaria .
She has expanded her expertise by completing a two year Master class in Chamber music at The State Academy of Music, Sofia and French music Master class.
From an early age, Elena has participated in many concerts, playing in chamber music ensembles and performing as a soloist in both her own recitals and as a guest soloist with orchestras in many cities in Europe, North America and Asia, including Calgary, Wien, Frankfurt, Berlin, Budapest, Bratislava, Sofia, Alliance Française /Bangkok, Victoria Concert Hall with Braddell Heights SO and Esplanade Recital Studio/Singapore. She has also performed in recording sessions for The National Radio and Television and for Radio Berlin .
Moreover, Elena has composed music for several puppet shows, which were presented over the world. For some of these puppet shows, her compositions were awarded prizes.
She has expanded her expertise by completing a two year Master class in Chamber music at The State Academy of Music, Sofia and French music Master class.
From an early age, Elena has participated in many concerts, playing in chamber music ensembles and performing as a soloist in both her own recitals and as a guest soloist with orchestras in many cities in Europe, North America and Asia, including Calgary, Wien, Frankfurt, Berlin, Budapest, Bratislava, Sofia, Alliance Française /Bangkok, Victoria Concert Hall with Braddell Heights SO and Esplanade Recital Studio/Singapore. She has also performed in recording sessions for The National Radio and Television and for Radio Berlin .
Moreover, Elena has composed music for several puppet shows, which were presented over the world. For some of these puppet shows, her compositions were awarded prizes.
