Daniela Ivanova was born in Burgas (Bulgaria). During her education at the music high school “Pantscho Vladigerov”, which she concluded with the Matura in 1996, she studied viola with Marin Mantchorov and won numerous national competitions. In 1999, after completing her work with a baccalaureate at the Bulgarian National Academy, she continued her study with Hans Peter Ochsenhofer at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, receiving her diploma in 2008. She won the first prize at the Österreichischen Interpreten Gesellschaft Competition in 1999, made her mark at the Gottfried von Einem Competition in 2000, and received the first prize at the 13th International Chamber Music Competition in Thessaloniki in 2003, along with the Austrian “frauen.kunst.preis” by Federal Minister Elisabeth Gehrer in the Viennese Parliament.in the category music. In 2005 she was awarded the third prize at the Brahms Competition in Pörtschach. In 2006 she recorded a solo CD “Inside Viola” for Viola and Piano.

With scholarships from the Herbert von Karajan Cener, Dr. Martha Sobotka-Charlotte Janeczek- Foundation, Dr. Robert und Lina Thyll-Dürr Foundation and the Swiss Maggini Foundation she augmented her viola studies through courses with Yuri Bashmet, Michael Kugel and Michael Frischenschlager,Jerzy Kosmala, Ognjan Stantschev, Johannes Eskar, Lubomir Maly. Her participation in various festivals (Emil Tchakarov Festival, Verbier Festival, Asahikawa Festival, Savitra Festival, Le Bourget Festival etc.) and numerous solo and chamber music concerts in Europe, Israel, and Japan with partners such as Maxim Vengerov, Yuri Bashmet, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Christopher Hinterhuber, Franco Petracchi, Pleyel Trio, Xavier de Maistre as well as solo appearances with the Lemberg Symphony Orchestra, the City Orchestra of Sofia and the Burgas Philharmonic Orchestra confirmed her success at these various competitions. In April of 2007, she successfully auditioned for the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and has been engaged in the viola section since September 1, 2007 and in 2010 she was further accepted into the Orchestra of the Vienna Philharmonic.