Tatiana Koleva

Recognized as virtuoso, versatile and innovative artist in marimba and percussion Tatiana Koleva has premiered over 100 works created especially for her solo and ensemble projects. 

Born in Bulgaria, currently Koleva lives in The Netherlands and combines her intensive concert agenda with education activities, holding a teaching position at the Prince Claus Conservatory / Hanze University, Groningen, NL. She is the founder and artistic director of the award-winning formation ‘Youth Percussion Pool’ - an education and performing platform for young professionals and the biannual festival event ‘Amsterdam Marimba Weekend’.

Tatiana Koleva has performed in major concert halls throughout Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Jordan and Mexico and has appeared as a soloist of number of orchestras. She is regularly invited to join projects of leading ensembles and theatre groups and forms duo partnerships with the organist Jan Hage, bass clarinetist Fie Schouten and the jazz saxophonist Rutger van Otterloo. In addition to her activities as a classical musician she is often involved in cross-genre projects with improvised jazz, rock, film and stage music. One of the very successful such formation is the cult-band Rubatong.

Koleva has recorded for NovaLinia Records (her own label), Decca, New World Records, Attacca, Unsounds, Mode Records, Orgelpark Records, Wergo, BVHAAST, ICSM Records and more. Tatiana Koleva is award winner of various International Competitions. In the beginning of 2010 she received the prestigious Prize ‘Musician of the Year 2009’ by the National Radio and the audience of Bulgaria, and her Youth Percussion Pool was awarded “Ensemble of the Year 2012” in that same contest. In 2019 Koleva has been granted a ‘Golden Medal’ Special Award of the ‘Manhattan Music Competition’, NY, USA.

2017 marked the release of a new album “Songs for Marimba” and currently Tatiana and her Percussion Pool are touring successfully with their shows 'How to Play the Cactus', and 'Trampoline' a program with new cross genre compositions and a special arrangement of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story for percussion ensemble.