Alexandra Karastoyanova-Hermentin

The austrian composer with russian-bulgarian ancestry got her first early piano and music theory lessons in her town of birth, Moscow (Russia). Her compositions have been played worldwide by esteemed orchestras and ensembles such as Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, OENM Salzburg, ICE - International Contemporary Ensemble (USA), Da Capo Chamber Players (USA), Ensemble Courage, Ensemble Aldubaran (Faroe Islands), and by interpreters and conductors such as Dimo Dimov, Johannes Kalitzke, David Bowlin, Lisa Smirnova, Per Rundberg, Katinka Kleijn, Stela Dimitrova, Andre Emeljanoff, Christian Knapp a.o.. 2007 she made her CARNEGIE HALL debut with the Violin Concerto "MAHAGONI" with David Bowlin as a soloist. Her work „ANNÄHERUNG“ for 14 instruments, comissioned by the Government of Salzburg and premiered by the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg under Johannes Kalitzke was a part of the exibition “Viva!Mozart”, celebrating Mozart's 250th birthday in the Residence of Salzburg (2006-2007) and in the Fine Art Museum of Sejong-Center in Seoul/South Korea (2007). The official opening of the exibition in Salzburg, visited by more than 250.000 guests, was opened by the Mr. President of Austria Dr. HEINZ FISCHER.

During the 2006 season she is recipient of the Aaron Copland Fellowship for the residence at the MacDowell Colony Artist Residence* (USA). Her work has been featured at the Merkin Concert Hall (NY), Art Institute Chucago in the CSO Chamber Series, Columbia College Chicago, Villa Massimo Rom, Rosenberg & Kaufman Gallery New York, Radiokulturhaus Wien, Universitaetsaula Salzburg, Bulgarian National Hall, Klaus–Von-Bismarck Saal in Cologne . She has participated in a wide range of festivals for New Music such as the „Summartonar“/Faroe Islands, „ZeitTon-Festival“/Wien, „StArt- Festival“/Salzburg, Washington Square Contemporary Music Society/New York, „Sound ways“/St. Petersburg (Russia), „Nacht der Komponisten“/Salzburg, Sofia Summer, Musika Nova, „ppIANISSIMO“/Sofia (Bulgaria) among others.

Mrs. Karastoyanova-Hermentin's commissions have been received from the WDR Cologne (West German Broadcast), ORF Wien (National Austrian Broadcast), Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Aspekte Salzburg 2010, StArt-Festival Salzburg, HAMS –Holland-American Music Competition Chicago.
She is the recipient of numerous Grants and Awards, including The Austrian State Scholarship for Composition (2010, 2006 and 2001), Award for Composition of the City Vienna (2007) as an appreciation of the entire previous work., The Composition Scholarship of the Wiener Symphoniker, The Presidental "The Theodor-Koerner Award" for Art and Science under the Patronage of the Mr. President of Austria Dr.Heinz Fischer, The 21th Century Young Composers Project (Chicago-NY), The Annual Scholarship for Composition of the Salzburg Government given to only one composer per year, The Composers Grant of the Federal Chancellor (2003 - 2009).

Performances of her music have received many broadcasts by Radio WDR (Cologne), ORF (Vienna, Salzburg), Bulgarian National Radio, Macedonian National Radio, WMFT Chicago. Workshops about her music were held in Argentinien, Slovakia and Bulgaria.

Recently, recicpient for the thirth time of the prestigious The Austrian State Scholarship for Composition 2010, she is working on a symphonic work.

Karastoyanova-Hermentin specializes as a pianist in the performance of contemporary music by composers of diverse styles. Recipient of the Chamber Music Preis in CHAIN-Competition (Netherlands), she is regularly seeing performances of world premieres and on broadcasts as a piano soloists with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and in such festivals as „Aspekte“ Salzburg, „Hoergaenge“ Wien, „Poetik“ at the Mozarteum „Sofia Summer“, „Skopsko leto“ (Macedonia), through Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia.

Mrs. Karastoyanova-Hermentin lives and works in Vienna. Professor in piano and composition at the Prayner Konservatorium in Vienna, she is also adviser in the master thesis as wel"