Lora Markova was born in Sofia and began playing the violin at the age of five in the class of Blagorodna Taneva at the National School of Music “Lyubomir Pipkov.” Among her first achievements in national competitions are top prizes at “Young Virtuosos,” “Dobrin Petkov,” and “Nedyalka Simeonova,” as well as Grand Prix awards from the competitions “Music and the Earth” (2018), “Hopes, Masters and Talents” (2019), and “Nedyalka Simeonova” (2021).

On the international stage, she has gained recognition and has become a laureate of prestigious competitions for young violinists such as “Andrea Postacchini” and “Il Piccolo Violino Magico” in Italy, followed by awards at the Anton Rubinstein International Competition in Germany, the International Violin Competition in Odessa, Ukraine, and “Concertino Praga” in the Czech Republic.

In 2020, Lora won First Prize at the Leonid Kogan International Violin Competition in Brussels, and in 2021, she became the First Prize winner of the Tibor Varga Junior Violin Competition in Switzerland—an achievement that opened doors for a series of solo recitals offered by the Swiss artist management agency AMG “Rising Stars.”

Her numerous concert performances in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, the USA, and other countries have been enthusiastically received by audiences and highly praised by specialists and music critics, highlighting her impressive technical ability, artistic maturity, and deep musical sensitivity. Notable early appearances include her performance at “Days of Bulgaria” in Frankfurt at the age of 10, “Treasures of Bulgaria” at Carnegie Hall in New York at 11, and the 60th anniversary concert of the Sion Violon Festival in Switzerland in 2024.

Lora has performed under the baton of conductors such as Domenico Mason, Giancarlo Guarino, Leonid Kerbel, Marek Šedivý, Alexander Gordon, and Simon Wenger. In Bulgaria, she has appeared as a soloist with the Pleven Philharmonic, Classic FM Orchestra, Varna State Opera, Sofia Symphonietta, Vidin Philharmonic, Shumen Symphony Orchestra, Vratsa Symphony Orchestra, among others. She has collaborated with prominent Bulgarian conductors including Emil Tabakov, Grigor Palikarov, Maxim Eshkenazy, Pavel Zlatev, Kalina Vasileva, Arto Tchifchiyan, and others. In 2024, she made her debut as a soloist with the Sofia Philharmonic under the baton of Viliana Valcheva.

In addition to her vivid presence as a soloist, Lora Markova is also a highly sought-after chamber musician. She has received scholarships from the Allegra Festival (Bulgaria), Gstaad Menuhin Festival (Switzerland), Lead Festival (Finland), and Villa Musica (Germany), where she has shared the stage with acclaimed names from the world of classical music. A major influence in her development has been her ongoing collaboration with legendary violinist and pedagogue Boris Garlitsky.

In 2022, Lora was admitted as a student to the elite Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin, studying in the class of Prof. Kolja Blacher. As of 2025, she continues her education at the Basel Music Academy in the class of Prof. Leonidas Kavakos, where she is one of only four students accepted into his first regular class. Her collaboration with the renowned violinist began in 2021 at his traditional masterclass in Athens, where she was awarded a special scholarship from his foundation upon her first appearance.

Recognition of her talent within the Bulgarian music community includes the special Olga Kamburova Young Talent Award, given by the Bulgarian National Radio’s “Allegro Vivace” program in 2020, as well as multiple nominations for “Young Musician of the Year” in subsequent years.

A crucial contribution to Lora’s artistic development as a violinist with solid technical skills and a refined sense for sound, style, and layered interpretation has been her participation in masterclasses and academies led by world-renowned pedagogues and violinists such as Prof. Michael Frischenschlager, Prof. Dora Schwarzberg, Prof. Leonid Kerbel, Prof. Zakhar Bron, Prof. Ivry Gitlis, Prof. Pavel Vernikov, Prof. Svetlana Makarova, Prof. Rainer Schmidt, Prof. Svetlin Roussev, and others.

Lora performs on a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin from 1869, generously provided by the Villa Musica Foundation (Germany).