© Adriana Yankulova

Vivi Vassileva

Vivi Vassileva: 9.07.2021 
Year of Birth: 1994
Instrument: Percussion 
Nationality: Germany/
https://www.vividrums.com/

In this project, Vivi Vassileva presents herself and her profession in a completely new way. There is hardly another instrument which demands the kind of physical activity which is involved in playing percussion. Performing on a marimba frequently resembles a form of athletic dance which is fascinating, above all, owing to its precise bodily action. On this occasion, Vivi Vassileva will personify a musical sportswoman on stage. Her performance is reminiscent of a 100-metres race; a broad jump of almost insurmountable dimensions, as her counterpart – none other than the famous Austrian author Michael Köhlmeier – tells us stories of popular sports legends. With great precision he highlights the processes which are employed during a competition – or an artist’s appearance on stage in a concert – as the protagonists strive for the results they have trained so hard to achieve. Vivi Vassileva, who accompanies these stories with her music, offers the viewers new ways of becoming acquainted with her instrument and her performance, demonstrating to them a fresh approach to her music and her craft. In addition to great talent and innate musicality, sharing the stage of a renowned venue with a famous author demands a high level of training, physical perfection and discipline. This aspect of her art is highlighted by the analogy to sports activities, thus allowing her audience to perceive what it takes to be able to play a percussion instrument with such outstanding virtuosity. 
This project has presented the artist with a very particular challenge as, together with the author, she is responsible for both the selection of the stories and the accompanying music. In Vassileva’s approach to what, for her, represents a new genre, the artist is looking to create analogies between literary and musical texts, winning new audiences for her subject matter and her fascinating instrument, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the music and to experience a new dimension of musical performance.