Pianist Nadia Shpachenko has performed extensively in solo and chamber music recitals and with orchestras in North America and Europe in venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Described by critics as a "truly inspiring and brilliant pianist...spellbinding in sensitivity and mastery of technique," she most recently toured Mexico with Orquesta de Baja California, performed with the Kharkov Philharmonic, the Ukrainian National Symphony and the Ukrainian National Radio Symphony Orchestras in Ukraine and the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra in California.

 

In addition to bringing out new facets of the traditional repertoire, Dr. Shpachenko enjoys applying her deep interpretation to new repertoire by performing and premiering music by contemporary composers. Her recent notable premieres include the World premiere of Ukrainian composer Yury Ishchenko's Piano Concerto No. 2 at the 17th International Contemporary Music Festival "Kiev Music Fest 2006" and the West Coast premiere of Elliott Carter’s Dialogues for Piano and Chamber Orchestra with the Nimbus Ensemble in Los Angeles. Dr. Shpachenko is also touring a series of lecture-recitals exploring the relations between modern art and modern music, including one on Unorthodox Use of Piano by 20th Century American Composers and one commissioned by the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC to accompany its Modigliani exhibit.

 

Born in Ukraine, Dr. Shpachenko completed her DMA and MM degrees at the University of Southern California, where she was awarded the title of Outstanding Graduate. Her principal teachers have included such distinguished musicians as John Perry, Victor Rosenbaum, and Victor Derevianko. Winner of numerous international piano competitions, she performed at the International Holland Music Sessions, Aspen, Cliburn, Manchester, Orford, Sarasota, Music Academy of the West, Tel-Hai, and Saluzzo International Music Festivals.

 

Dr. Shpachenko is currently Assistant Professor of Music at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. In addition, she has recently served as visiting faculty at Pomona College, guest lecturer at the California Institute of the Arts, and Artist in Residence at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In June 2007 Dr. Shpachenko joined the Associate Piano Faculty of the Sarasota International Music Festival.