Krassimira was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, and is a gold-medal graduate of the State Academy of Music in Sofia, where she studied with Prof. Dora Ivanova, herself a continuer of the great Russian violin tradition of the Moscow Conservatoire.
After acquiring her Master’s degree she continued studying with different world renowned professors of violin. Among these she holds in particularly high esteem the knowledge she received from Franco Gulli, Igor Bezrodni, Karen Arutunyan, the latter himself a former assistant of the great Leonid Kogan.
She has performed extensively as an orchestral player, chamber musician and as a soloist, in numerous countries such as her native Bulgaria, Egypt, Russia, France, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Turkey, Japan, Poland, Hungary and Germany, working with world renowned conductors, Pavel Kogan, Yoel Levi and Marin Alsop among others.
She spent four years in Moscow (1996 – 2000), where she was appointed as a sub-leader (second concertmaster/principal) of the Moscow State Academic Symphony Orchestra from 1998-2000 before moving to Belgium where, along with the membership in the first violin section of the Flemish Radio and Television Orchestra, she continued to perform widely as a soloist and was leader of a number of chamber orchestras.
Between 2003 and June 2008 Krassimira lived in Ankara, Turkey where besides active teaching she was regularly asked to perform in programmes of the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra while continuing with solo recitals. She also contributed her talent to numerous community projects. Together with her Turkish partner-pianist, Prof. Yesim Alkaya, she made numerous recordings for Turkish Radio.
Between 2008 and 2012 she lived in Warsaw, Poland, where, along with her usual solo performing activities she led a string quartet. She made an important contribution to the Mendelssohn’s Festival that marked the bi-centenary of his birth, with highlights such as his famous Octet (at the leading position) and recording of his F Minor Violin Sonata.
Her next base was Berlin, Germany, where she continued with extensive performing, including on the Berliner Philharmonie stage, as a soloist as well as within a variety of chamber music formations.
Krassimira gave many recitals with several British pianists and particularly with London-based Elizabeth Mucha; their cooperation began while they were both living in Warsaw.
After many years of moving countries and following the return home of her British husband journalist, she moved to the UK in September 2015 where she settled. Since then she has been active as a versatile performer, giving recitals in Central London’s St. Martin in the Fields, Guildford, Wimbledon, Brighton, Cambridge and Berlin, and being increasingly involved in larger projects in Cambridge and London.