"I wanted to visit Vienna, because for me it was a world music center. Back then, a trip to Vienna was not complicated, because as an artist I had a so-called "diplomatic" passport, and I didn't need a visa. I applied to the then Higher School of Music and Performing Arts, now the University of Music (Musikhochschule in Wien). I was accepted into the class of Prof. Josef Sivo and so my life in the Austrian capital began. I continued my education at the Vienna Conservatory (Konservatorium der Stadt Wien) with Prof. Alexander Arenkov. I won a competition for a place in the Tonkünstler-Orchester - the orchestra of Lower Austria. I worked there for 10 years. I left because in the meantime I had won a place in the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper). I was one of the first two female violinists allowed to play in this orchestra. I worked there for three years, after which I joined the Bruckner Orchestra in Linz (Bruckner Orchester Linz), in the position of leader of the first violins (Stimmführerin 1. Violine) with the duties of concertmaster - I have been in this position to this day."

The Bruckner Orchestra is a renowned symphony ensemble that also serves the Linz Theater (Landestheater Linz). So Iva Nikolova also plays in opera, operetta and musical performances, often under the baton of the world-famous Markus Poschner - the orchestra's chief conductor.

"Our program is very rich. It includes works from absolutely all genres", shares the Bulgarian violinist. "Bruckner's symphonies are almost our Bible, we play them constantly in absolutely all versions. Also the symphonies of Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff. The conductor Markus Poschner is an exceptional musician. He brought in many new ideas. I think the orchestra has grown a lot under his leadership."

Iva Hölzl is also an active soloist and chamber musician. In 2023, she gave a recital in one of the halls of the Musikverein. This was her first solo performance in the famous music complex, but she says that as an orchestra member from 2004 to 2007, she literally lived in the iconic Viennese hall. Her repertoire is impressive: from Bach to Schnittke, from Paganini to Bartók and Webern. Collaboration with contemporary composers such as Erich Urbaner, Vladimir Panchev, Rumen Balozov and Ivan Eröd enriches her mastery. Tudor Saveanu, Michael Ammann and her husband Wolfgang Hölzl wrote especially for her, and in 2001, the composer and violinist Andreas Baksa created a violin concerto for Iva. 

One of Iva's previous returns to her homeland was as part of the ‎Strong Trio Vogl. Does the trio still exist today?

‎"It's currently not active, but it hasn't broken up, we keep in touch. We often talk to Elisaveta Staneva-Vogl and think about what new pieces we could learn, new trios, how our joint music making could continue." 

Violist Elisaveta Staneva-Vogl is also Bulgarian. Together with her husband - cellist Bernhard Vogl and Iva Nikolova, they form the Vogl String Trio, which some time ago released a very interesting CD with music by Max Reger. However, Iva's main activity is in the Bruckner Orchestra. And the composer Bruckner has also played an important role in her personal life, because he brought her together with her husband - musicologist and composer Wolfgang Hölzl:

"Yes, it turned out interesting", Iva Nikolova recalls their meeting. "Since my husband had written a book on Bruckner's Seventh Symphony, he called me to exchange information and ask me about some impressions, simply as a performer."

When asked when we can expect her back in Bulgaria, Iva Hölzl-Nikolova answers that she hopes to play with the Gabrovo Chamber Orchestra again at this time next year, but it is possible that we will see and hear her again this summer at the Sofia Music Weeks festival.

She has three recitals ahead with the Italian pianist Luca Monti. The first will be in Vienna, at the Bösendorfer Salon, and is dedicated to the Bulgarian composer Vladimir Panchev (1948 – 2021), who lived in Vienna. In April, Nikolova and Monti will perform a romantic program in Linz. In June, they will play Beethoven and Liszt in the Austrian city of Retz, known for the preserved grand piano that Liszt himself played. Iva Hölzl communicates with compatriots in Austria and is happy to share that there are many prominent Bulgarians in Vienna, and Bulgarian musicians enjoy successful careers.

Iva Hölzl-Nikolova performs Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor by A. Vivaldi with the Gabrovo Chamber Orchestra, conductor - Ivan Stoyanov, recording from 19.02.2025.