Alexandra Karastoyanova-Hermentin (*1968 in Mocsow) studied composition with Boguslaw Schaeffer and piano with Alfons Kontarsky, Dimo Dimov and Boyan Vodenitcharov at the University Mozarteum Salzburg and at the State Music Academy in Sofia.

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In 2007, her violin concerto “Mahagony”, written during the stay at the artist residency  MacDowell Colony, was premiered by David Bowlin in the Carnegie Hall. The Bowlin´s latest CD (2019 New York) includes two of her works. 

Her orchestra piece „Annäherung“, comissioned by the Government of Salzburg was recorded by the Mozarteum Orchestra under Johannes Kalitzke and presented in the “Viva!Mozart” exhibition in Salzburg celebrating Mozart's 250th birthday. Her latest orchestra piece "TARSIS" (2019) was nominated for the Rychenberg Competition and recorded by the Musikkollegium Winterthur conducted by Pierre-Alain Monot.

Performances of Karastoyanova-Hermentin´s works have been held in the Musikverein, ACFNY, “Chamber Series” of the CSO, Merkin Concert Hall, Nordic House Torshavn, State Opera Donetsk, Parliament of Canada, Palácio da Justiça Manaus, Flagey Brussels, Megaron Athene as well as in the festivals Ultraschall Berlin, Klangspuren, Warsaw Autumn, Kyiv Music Fest. Her compositions have been interpreted by Oswald Sallaberger, David Fulmer, Nacho de Paz, Lars Mlekusch, David Bowlin, Katinka Kleijn, Jonathan Vinocour, Artem Nyzhnyk, Hayk Melikyan as well as by many ensembles including the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the International Contemporary Ensemble New York, the Vorarlberg Symphony Orchestra, the Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Zaporozhje, PHACE, oenm Salzburg, Stadler Quartett, Wiener Collage, die Reihe, Da Capo Chamber Players.

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Ms. Karastoyanova-Hermentin has received commissions from Konzerthaus Vienna, WDR, Siemens Music Foundation, ORF - the Austrian Broadcasting, Aspekte Festival. Her music has been recognized with the Austrian State Prize “Outstanding Artist Award 2013 Musik”, the State Composers Grant (2001,2006, 2010), the Promotion Prize of the City Vienna, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra Grant, the Composers Grant of the Federal Chancellery of Austria, the Annual Grant of the Government of Salzburg, Theodor-Körner Award for Art and Science. She is recipient of the "Aaron Copland" fellowship at the MacDowell Colony in the USA and winner of the Young Composers Project of the International Contemporary Ensemble. Her music appears on CD labels - Capriccio, Gramola, New Focus Recordings, Austrian Broadcasting.

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She has performed as a pianist both in the field of classical and contemporary music, a.o. as a soloist with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, in festivals such as Aspekte Salzburg, Hörgänge Wien (Konzerthaus Vienna), Sofia summer, Skopsko leto.

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