Drummer Vivi Vassileva

»[...] Music is communication. It’s not something that I do alone for hours in the practice room, of course that’s part of it if you want to reach a high level, but the driving force behind the motivation has to be [...] that it’s a language that is spoken [...]«

Even though Vivi Vassileva’s musical career began with her father’s violin lessons, it was the Bulgarian tarpan that really took her fancy. She first encountered the instrument on holiday on the Black Sea and was immediately captivated by the traditional Balkan rhythms. The idea of making percussion her profession then solidified at the Bundesjugendorchester.  

Since then, she has worked as a soloist with numerous renowned orchestras, such as the Residentie Orkest Den Haag. Her style is characterised by a particular versatility and the constant search for new ways to expand her craft.  

In conversation with Steven Walter, she also tells us how she wants to bring the new generation to music.

bee.contemporary is the discussion podcast of Beethovenfest Bonn. Here we invite guests from the worlds of music, culture and society to talk to us about current artistic projects and contemporary discourse.