Irina-Kalina Goudeva

Internationally acclaimed double bassist and interdisciplinary artist Irina-Kalina Goudeva was born in Sofia and lives in Switzerland. She graduated from the Sofia State Conservatory under Prof. Todor Toshev and from the Geneva Conservatory under Prof. Franco Petracchi, where she received First Prize for Virtuosity in 1993.

As a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral performer, she has developed an active international career, including service as solo double bassist of the Royal Danish Theatre Orchestra from 1997 to 2001. She has collaborated with leading European ensembles and with composers including Pierre Boulez, György Kurtág, Helmut Lachenmann and Heinz Holliger.

Her repertoire ranges from Renaissance and Baroque music to contemporary, jazz and electroacoustic works, and she frequently incorporates her own alto voice into her performances.

Goudeva is artistic director and administrator of Ikana Art Studio and of the ARTS Caves de Courten cultural complex in Switzerland. More than 35 works have been written especially for her, and her discography includes over 30 CDs. She has received numerous international awards and performs as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe, Scandinavia, North and South America.