Assia Zlatkowa

Assia Zlatkowa Schwarck (Bulgarian: Ася Златкова) (born April 17, 1953) is a Danish concert pianist of Bulgarian/Greek descent and was active in the period 1965–1995. She now lives in Denmark and Spain as the widow after Gösta Schwarck. She became a Danish citizen in 1978 and in 1981 Assia Zlatkowa was accepted and registered in the Kraks Blå Bog ("Krak's Blue Book").

As a child Assia Zlatkowa displayed great musical talent and aged 5 she was accepted at the National Music School Lyubomir Pipkov in Sofia. Aged 8 she starred as the leading act in the music film "The first steps" and aged 9 she played as a soloist with several Bulgarian Symphony Orchestras with Haydn D-major concerto as her debut.

She continued her education at the National Academy of Music in Sofia under the supervision of professor Kutewa and she also studied under the supervision of professor Guido Agosti in Weimar and Siena as well as professor Herman D. Koppel in Denmark.

Assia Zlatkowa won 3 International first prizes. Aged 13: 1st Prize England 1966 (Middlesbrough) and aged 14: 1st Prize Bulgaria 1967 (Russe) and aged 19: 1st Prize in Italy 1972 (Enna).

Maëstro Kurt Masur signed the 14-year-old Assia Zlatkowa to play the Mozart D-minor concerto KV466 with the Dresden Philharmonic 4 times over 4 days. The conductor was Professor Heinz Bongartz.

Since then she was often invited to Germany, both East- and West-, and aged 17 she played together with the Berlin Philharmonic the Beethoven Op37, after which she toured in Poland, Italy, East- and West Germany and in Denmark.

During her first piano recital in the Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, August 1975 she swept the classical music world of Denmark off her feet, which resulted in several invitations as a soloist for the most prominent of Danish Symphony Orchestras. Her Galla concerto in the Falkonersalen with Maëstro Carlo Zecchi and the Copenhagen Philharmonic on March 1, 1977 - Chopin E-minor concerto - was recorded live for an LP by the record label 'Point' and May 5, 1977 she played the same concerto with the same conductor but with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Tivoli Concert Hall for Danish National Television.

From 1975 and onwards Assia Zlatkowa has had a permanent residence in Copenhagen; however, in later years, she has spent an equal amount of time in her second home in Spain for health reasons.