Anna & Dimitri Shelest, photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco
Tickets
General Ticket: $25
Member Ticket: $20
Supported by Susan Lacy, Steve and Michele Pesner, Clifford Ross and Nicolette Donen, and the Friends of the Fund for Music at The Church.
Join us as we welcome Ukrainian power couple Anna and Dimitri Shelest, known as the Shelest Piano Duo, for a dazzling concert of contemporary classical music woven into a program with purpose. With compositions and arrangements for four hands, the critically acclaimed duo will fill The Church with a beautiful tapestry of American composers (including Amy Beach, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copeland, and George Gershwin) and Ukrainian composers (Theodore Akimenko and Myroslav Skoryk), and Cécile Chaminade, in a tribute to International Women’s History Month.
The pair met in Ukraine during middle school and were married in the United States. Their deep appreciation for the music of both countries and their innovative performances for dignitaries and audiences worldwide have earned them high praise and admiration. Come learn why former Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon called their rare achievement “realized diplomacy through music.”
A sincere thank you to our collaborating partners, the Alexander & Buono Foundation, for their continued support in bringing world-class musicians to The Church.
ANNA & DIMITRI SHELEST
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The husband-and-wife team of Dmitri and Anna Shelest began musical training in their native Ukraine. Praised by Fanfare magazine for their “stirring performances of rare repertory,” they made their Carnegie Hall debut under the auspices of the Alexander & Buono Foundation in February 2018, with their CD release of Ukrainian Rhapsody bringing renewed attention to the music of their homeland. The CD was also named Album of the Week on public radio and played on radio stations nationwide. Their inventive programs have brought them from concert stages to state functions.
A growing interest in the works of women composers has led to a series of CD recordings from Sorel Classics entitled Donna Voce (The Voices of Women), available on amazon.com; the third in this series was released last month and features collaborations with Maestro Neeme Järvi and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra of Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto. Also included are Cécile Chaminade’s Concertstück, and a piano suite for four hands with Dmitri and Anna at the keyboard.