Born on February 22, 1995 in Kazanlak, Bulgaria, Sibel Zeynelova began playing the piano at the age of seven in the studio of Elena Yulianova at the Special Music School "Ekzarh Antim I" and School of Arts ""Emanuil Manolov.” Since 2012, she has been a student at the Sofia’s National School of Music in the class of Professor Dr. Iliya Tchernaev, with whom she also took lessons at the National Music Academy “Prof. PanchoVladigerov”. She graduated with Excellence in 2014 and received her Diploma for Secondary Education. During the same year, Sibel was accepted at Mannes College The New School For Music in New York, United States, as a recipient of the Provost Merit Scholarship Award and Schoenberg Piano Stipend. She has continued her education under the guidance of Prof. Pavlina Dokovska, Chair of the Piano Department, and Prof. Vladimir Valjarevic. Since 2016, she is a student at Royal Academy of Music in London, United Kingdom, in the piano class of Prof. Colin Stone.
Sibel gave her first solo recital at the age of nine. Her debut with orchestra was two years later with the Sliven Philharmonic under the baton of Dimitar Karaminkov, followed by several reengagements with the same orchestra. Most recently, she was invited by Maestro Karaminkov to perform Schumann's Piano Concerto Op.54, throughout the following season. She has been participating in concerts, solo recitals, master classes and competitions around USA, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Russia, Turkey, Macedonia and her native Bulgaria. In May 2016, she was invited to perform on a special concert called “Musical Treasures from Bulgaria”, which took place at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall. During her studies in New York, Sibel performed regularly on events organized by Mannes Sounds Festival, as well as at the Czech Republic, Turkish and Bulgarian Consulates General in New York. After moving to London, she participates regularly on master classes and concerts organized by the Royal Academy of Music, and gives solo-recitals at major festivals in Bulgaria.
Sibel is a prizewinner of over fifty awards from International competitions held in Bulgaria and abroad, including three “Grand Prix”; three Special Prizes, along with the “Special Award of the Union of Bulgarian Composers”; twenty First Prizes; etc. She is a laureate of the International Piano Competition “Anton Rubinstein” in Paris, France; International Slavic Music Competition in Moscow, Russia; International Piano Competition “Pera” in Istanbul, Turkey; International Competition for Young Musicians “Ohrid Pearls” in Ohrid, Macedonia; International Competition for Young Pianists in Gevgeliya, Macedonia; International Competition “Music and the Earth”, “Franz Schubert”, “Hopes, Talents, Masters”, “German and Austrian Music Competition” and “Classical and Contemporary Music Competition” – Bulgaria, among others.
Sibel is a winner of scholarship for talented children awarded by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture (2005-2013). She was selected as one of “The Successful Children of Bulgaria”, a competition organized by the Dimitar Berbatov’s Foundation for Young Talents. In 2015, she received the “Eurobet Talent” award, given once in two years after a competition, organized by the Bulgarian Charities Aid Foundation, Apollonia International Foundation and Eurobet. During 2017, she was supported by the Sidney Perry Foundation, as a winner of one of their annual scholarships. Additionally, Sibel was honored to receive awards from Rotary Club and Lions Club, Bulgaria. Her high achievements were officially recognized by the city of Kazanlak (2005-2011).
Some of Sibel's festival participations include “Summer Academy of Music” in La Roche D’Hys, France (2012), and “International Klaviersommer Festival” in Cochem, Germany (2014), where she was selected to perform in concerts of the top participants.
Sibel has been participating regularly of master classes worldwide given by established musicians, such as: Prof. Pascal Devoyon (France, Germany), Prof. Rustem Hayroudinoff (Rusia, UK), Amandine Savary (France, UK), Prof. Pavlina Dokovska (USA), Prof. John Perry (USA, Canada), Prof. Victor Rosenbaum (USA), Prof. Tamara Poddubnaya (USA, Russia), Prof. Zahari Metchkov (USA), Prof. Ludmil Angelov (Spain, Bulgaria), Prof. Vlad Dimulescu (Romania), Prof. Xavier Le Comte de la Bretonnerie (France), Prof. Dr. Atanas Kurtev (Bulgaria), Prof. Milena Mollova (Bulgaria), Prof. Jenny Zaharieva (Bulgaria), Prof. Victor Chuchkov (Bulgaria).
