Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean

Anna-Maria Yordanova Ravnopolska-Dean (Bulgarian: Анна-Мария Йорданова Равнополска-Дийн), Sofia, Bulgaria, is a Bulgarian and American harpist, composer, pedagogue, musicologist and TV host. Biography Education as a Harpist By a recommendation of Nicanor Zabaleta she was accepted as a student by Italian harpist Liana Pasquali. After her participations in international competitions, Ravnopolska-Dean was invited to continue her studies by Susann McDonald at Juilliard School, New York and at Indiana University, Bloomington. At the Indiana University School of Music, Anna-Maria was awarded an Artist Diploma for 'Superior Artistic Achievement in Harp Performance'. When asked about her education as a harpist Ravnopolska-Dean highlights that both of her major professors were students of the French harp school: Liana Pasqualli was a student of Marcel Tournier, while Susann McDonald was a student of Henriette Renie. Performing Career Ravnopolska-Dean began her career as a soloist at the international stage in a series of notable international competitions, including those of Gargilesse in Berry, Munich, and Jerusalem, where she was first noticed by renowned names such as Nicanor Zabaleta and Susann McDonald. During her education in Juilliard School and Indiana University, Bloomington, she was presented on the McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase of WXQR radio in New York. The invitation came after a committee from the program recognized her talent in the Artist Diploma recordings at Indiana. After a competition in 1991 the North Carolina Arts Council appointed her Artist in Residence. In 1992, Ravnopolska-Dean made her New York début at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. Her repertoire at Carnegie Hall included some rarely performed virtuoso pieces, such as the J. S. Bach violin Partita No. 3.