Born in Sofia, Yanka Hekimova began her career as a pianist and at a very early age performed recitals and concerts in her native city.
She concluded her musical studies in both piano and organ at the prestigious Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. Since, settled in Paris, Yanka perfected with Jean Guillou and has devoted herself exclusively to her career as an concert artist.
She has been invited to many concert-halls, cathedrals and festivals - Paris Quartier d'Été, Festival international d'orgue de Monaco, Festival d'orgue de Saint-Eustache – Paris, Annecy Classic Festival, Cambridge Summer Festival, Festval d'orgue d'Aosta (Italy), Toulouse les orgues, Victoria Hall de Genève (Switzerland), Leeds Town Hall, Tonhalle de Zurich, Kyoto Concert Hall (Japan), Alfredo Kraus Auditorio - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canterbury Cathedral, Belfast Cathedral, Cathédrale de Tournai (Belgium), Cathédrale de Chartres, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts...
Her many concerts have been widely broadcast by radio and TV.
In addition to her extensive repertoire, Yanka has transcribed many orchestra and piano works for organ, piano, organ and miscellaneous instruments among them, Vivaldi, Haendel, Mozart, Liszt, Wagner, Saint-Säens, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Ravel.
In 2018, to celebrate «l’anniversaire Debussy», she wrote a transcription from «Nuages» and «Fêtes» for 8 hands - organ and piano. The creation took place in Saint-Gabriel in Paris.
Yanka Hekimova has given master classes in Europe, Asia, North America and among them at Saint-Eustache, and since 2015, in Saint Gabriel Church in Paris.
In collaboration with the City of Paris and with sponsorship from the Fondation Hippocrène, Yanka Hekimova conceived and performed in Saint-Eustache a series of animated concerts for children. These concerts have been attended by more than twelve thousand youngsters.
Yanka has recorded several CD's, two of which feature the organ of Saint Eustache (Paris) that include her transcription of Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony as well as major original organ works. She has published the 6 Sonatas by J.S. Bach on two CD's recorded at the Tonhalle in Zürich, and has recorded a CD of the renovated organ of Saint-Gabriel in Paris, featuring works by Purcell, JS Bach, Mozart, Schumann, Franck and Vierne.
Together with Jean Guilou, Yanka Hekimova has performed for the dedication of the organ of the Tonhalle in Zürich, created the Symphonie Initiatique - version for two organists - as well as the "Symphonic Dances" by Rachmaninoff, transcribed for two organists by Jean Guillou. The live recording of the "Symphonic Dances" published by Universal has been highly acclaimed by magazines such as "Le Monde de la Musique", Répertoire" and "Diapason".
Since 2015, Yanka Hekimova appears in the famous Oxford Grove Music Online dictionary.