Our Vision
Co-founded by Ivajla Kirova and Stanley Wong, MONA Festival Vivente is an international concert series and curatorial movement dedicated to reviving the classical salon tradition through contemporary, interdisciplinary dialogues. We believe music shouldn't just be heard—it should be lived, seen, and deeply felt.
Inspired by the iconic Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania, Australia, the MONA Festival embodies a fearless signature: a profound juxtaposition of historical mastery and contemporary avant-garde vision. By orchestrating a deliberate collision between the finest masterpieces of classical music and boundary-pushing new music by living composers, the festival cultivates a groundbreaking artistic intertextuality and a whimsically-refreshing listening experience.
Integrating music performance, ballet, contemporary dance, poetry, visual arts, and philosophy, we curate immersive concert-as-theater experiences—where all multidisciplinary expressions breathe together as one uncompromised living organism: Vivente.
Meet the Founder
Ivajla Kirova
Ivajla Kirova is a German-Bulgarian award-winning pianist and composer with over 25 years of concert activity on four continents. She graduated from the Sofia Music Academy with a distinguished diploma and has Master of Music degrees in piano and chamber music from the Munich University of Music and Theater. In 1997 she relocated in Germany after she was invited to become an Associate Professor at the Munich University of Music and Theater. For eight years she taught international students, participated judged at international piano competitions, and conducted Masterclasses in Europe and Asia. She has performed numerous concerts in Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Malaysia, Maldives, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, in the UAE, in the USA etc. Her live recordings have been broadcast on television and radio in Bulgaria, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and in the USA.
Ivajla has recorded six internationally released albums which received amazing reviews: “brilliant”, “with exceptional dynamic control, technical skill, wonderful tone and expression”.
She has been awarded several international prizes such as Artist Awards at Bel Canto Festivals in Malaysia 2015 & 2018. Her 4-th CD album was selected as "Recording of the Year 2016" by Musicweb International.
2019 & 2020 she received DKG Honor International Society Award for key women with extraordinary achievements all over the world in Atlanta, USA and Outstanding Advocate of Contemporary Musical Arts Award in Hong Kong. 2020 she was selected as a featured composer in BMTG Competition at Carnegie Hall in New York. Her 6-th CD album "My Favorite Encores" received great reviews: “Five stars: Musicianship and artistry of the highest caliber" Fanfare Music Magazine.
2023 she has been awarded Piano Olympics Ordre des Arts 2023. She is a Steinway Artist.
Stanley Wong
Deemed as a "true artist of the keyboard with a poetic soul," Stanley Wong is a versatile, maverick concert pianist, visual artist, and curator based in Hong Kong. Recently appointed as Artist-in-Residence of the influential 2026 Porto Pianofest in Portugal, Wong has carved a distinguished international career championing new music as well as a bold interpreter of challenging works from the Baroque to Romantic era. Wong is also a Fellow of the Royal Schools of Music (FRSM) in Piano Performance, his international solo recital career spans landmark venues, including the Kadriorg Art Museum Palace in Tallinn (Estonia), Villa Ammende in Pärnu, the Reitoria da Universidade do Porto --Casa Comum (Portugal), the 1901 Arts Club in London, and Hong Kong City Hall, with performances broadcast on RTHK Radio 4.
As the brainchild behind the multidisciplinary spirit of MONA, Wong is known for his thoughtful and innovative programming that frequently fuses music with poetry, visual arts, and dance, while creatively incorporating toy piano and prepared piano compositions. A dedicated advocate for living composers, his countless premieres and dedications include works by Alla Borzova, Karen Tanaka, Lei Liang, Augusta Read Thomas, Eric Guinvan, Elisenda Fabregas, Boris Kosak, Vivian Adelberg Rudow, among others. His collaborative ballet credits include premieres with the California DanceArts Youth Ballet (USA) and the DC Ballet (Hong Kong).
Extending his creativity beyond the keys, Wong is an accomplished fine art photographer specializing in cinematic musician portraiture, a visual artist, and an independent curator for numerous children’s avant-garde art and photography exhibitions.
