Katia Popov ( bg, Катя Попов; 3 March 1965 – 18 May 2018), born in Bulgaria and later living in California, was a violinist, playing as soloist, in chamber music and in orchestras; she was concertmaster of the

Hollywood Bowl Orchestra The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra (HBO) is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the Hollywood Bowl. John Mauceri led the orchestra from its founding in 1990 ...

Life

She was born in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

, Bulgaria; her father was an oboe player in the Sofia Radio Orchestra. She started playing the violin aged four. She studied at the Bulgarian Conservatory of Music, and at the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

with Nell Gotkovsky; then at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

, with Alexander Treger and

Iona Brown Iona Brown, OBE, (7 January 19415 June 2004) was a British violinist and conductor. Early life and education Elizabeth Iona Brown was born in Salisbury and was educated at Cranborne Chase School, Dorset. Her parents, Antony and Fiona, were b ...

."Katia Popov"
Los Angeles Musical Salon. Retrieved 18 July 2020."Cancer claims Hollywood concertmaster at 50". ''

The Strad ''The Strad'' is a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instrumentsprincipally the violin, viola, cello and double bassfor amateur and professional musicians. Founded in 1889, the magazine provides information, photographs and re ...

'', 25 May 2018."Katia Popov"
California Philharmonic. Retrieved 18 July 2020. Katia Popov was a member of the

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) is an American chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. LACO presents its Orchestral Series concerts at two venues, the Alex Theatre in Glendale and UCLA's Royce Hall. History James Arkatov, a ...

, and was a founder and first violinist of the California String Quartet, formed in 2002 with other members of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra."California String Quartet"
Los Angeles Musica Salon. Retrieved 18 July 2020. She was the first female concertmaster of the

. She was concertmaster of the

California Philharmonic Orchestra The California Philharmonic Orchestra, often abbreviated as Cal Phil, is a musical orchestra based within the American state of California. The Orchestra performed twenty years of outdoor summer concerts between 1996 and 2016, but then discontinu ...

, and principal second violin in the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. She was a guest soloist with orchestras in southern California, including the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

. She was on the faculty of

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

. She was a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

, playing in many film scores and albums. Katia Popov died in 2018, having received treatment for

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

for three years. She was survived by her husband Peter and two children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Popov, Katia 1965 births 2018 deaths Musicians from Sofia Conservatoire de Paris alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni 20th-century classical violinists 21st-century classical violinists Concertmasters American session musicians Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from ovarian cancer Women classical violinists