Magdalena Shumanova was born in Pazardzhik , Bulgaria and started her piano studies at the age of four. At the age of six she was accepted in the Secondary School of Music-“Dobrin Petkov”- Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She graduated with a Special Faculty Award for Academic and Performance Excellence in June, 2002. She was the soloist with the City Philharmonic Orchestra of Plovdiv, performing Saint-Saens' 2nd Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in the same year. While attending school there, she studied with Julia Girginova and Svetlana Kosseva and received her diploma in Piano Performance and Secondary Specialized Education in music and arts in 2002.

She entered the Florida State University College of Music in Tallahassee, Florida in 2003 with a full music scholarship. She also received the Tallahassee Music Guild Scholarship in 2002, The Griswold Scholarship 2005-2007 and was recently awarded the Kiwanis Capital Club scholarship. She studied with Dr. Carolyn Bridger and completed her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance in Spring 2008.

Ms. Shumanova has competed in many competitions during her studies, including the Mount Dora and MTNA Young Artist Competitions in Florida. In addition to competing here in the U.S., she has also competed in Bulgaria in the following competitions: The National Competition for German and Austrian Composers, the First National Competition for Contemporary American Music, the Sixth National Competition for Chech and Slovak Music (honorable mention) and the First International Piano Competition "Zeichler" (finalist).

Ms. Shumanova has attended a number of master classes under the direction of Jon Kimura Parker, Read Gainsford, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Andre Watts, Maxim Phillippov, Anton Dikov, Atanas Kyrtev, Milena Mollova, and Iovcho Kryshev.

Maggie has been on staff since IEI 2004!! Thanks for all her hard work!!

Ms. Shumanova has competed in many competitions during her studies including:  The Mount Dora and MTNA Young Artist Competitions in Florida.  Besides competing here in the U.S., she has also competed in Bulgaria in the following competitions: The National Competition for German and Austrian Composers, the First National Competition for Contemporary American Music, the Sixth National Competition for Chech and Slovak Music (honorable mention) and the First International Piano Competition "Zeichler" (finalist).