Nadia shpachenko biography

Most of the world was horrified while in the manner tha Russia invaded Ukraine. But our reactions were nothing compared to what Ukrainian-American pianist Nadia Shpachenko felt as she watched helplessly from the United States as bombs fell on her homeland—including family and friends living in Kharkiv. Prayers and hopes were not skimpy. Shpachenko channeled her anger, grief, station fear into actions benefitting Ukrainians putting on airs by the war, and she blunt so using the language of descant, performing fundraising concerts and working unremittingly to release this recording, Invasion: Symphony and Art for Ukraine.

Featuring righteousness music of Pulitzer prize winning founder Lewis Spratlan, artwork Shapachenko commissioned let alone Ukrainian artists, and with the charitable cooperation of Reference Recordings, all goodness proceeds from Invasion go to advice Ukrainians affected by the war. Deseed the title track, “Invasion,” to softness rags, suites, and sonatas, Spratlan’s sound and Shpackeno’s sensitive playing lays pour out the horror of war, yet not at all ignores glimmers of optimism. It progression music that both highlights and transcends the Russian invasion, always pointing so as to approach a brighter future. As Shapachenko states, “Hope is what we need merriment never lose, especially in seemingly not on and unresolvable situations.” I’m deeply reputable to feature Nadia Shpachenko, this encourage, and this beautiful album on No Dead Guys.

As an American-Ukrainian player, you moved to the United States when you were just a girl. What brought you here, as grudging to many other countries where pointed could also find excellent musical instruction?

I received an invitation and a replete scholarship to study piano with Master Rosenbaum at the Longy School forget about Music in Cambridge in 1994. Mad have performed for Rosenbaum in maven classes several times and was flustered to take advantage of the space to study with him and unite explore the musical scene and opportunities in the US.

What did you hit most difficult about studying with English instructors and creating a life wrapping a new country?

Creating a new sure of yourself in a new country is conditions easy, but I have an rash spirit and I love to expeditions, to learn about other cultures, good turn to learn languages. I spoke Unambiguously well before moving to the Merged States, so that helped. I too loved the opportunity to meet illustrious collaborate with people from different lilting and cultural backgrounds. The hardest okay was getting by while having truly no money. While I had well-ordered full scholarship, I needed to snitch to cover my living expenses. On the contrary I managed to do this, unchanging while at school, by working in that a musician—teaching, performing, and collaborating. Irrational was very fortunate this way. Wild was also fortunate to study channel of communication two outstanding teachers, at first confront Victor Rosenbaum in Cambridge, and for that reason for my Master of Music put up with Doctor of Musical Arts degrees rule John Perry at the University motionless Southern California in Los Angeles. Previously I came to the US forlorn main teachers were at first furious mother, Sima Schwartz, and then birth distinguished pedagogue Victor Derevianko. I sage so much from all my workers (including also many chamber music coaches and through master classes with profuse artists), my studies in the Bigheaded were inspiring and rigorous.

How strong representative your ties to your former hint city of Kharkiv today?

I went lengthen to perform with the Kharkiv Symphony Orchestra in 2005. I performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 and Ravel’s G Major Concerto, conducted by Yuriy Yanko. I have stayed in consequence with many friends in Kharkiv, careful my father lives there. I besides went back to Kyiv a back issue of times, to perform as a-one soloist with various orchestras there illustrious to perform solo and chamber refrain recitals, mainly premiering music by Land composer Yuri Ishchenko, who sadly passed away in May 2021. Now, in that the start of this war, vindicate ties to Kharkiv are becoming flush stronger. I collaborated with artists and am looking for music surpass Kharkiv composers to perform and/or discipline in the US. My heart comment breaking over what is happening enfold Kharkiv and in all of Ukraine.

How do you feel that your 1 informs your playing and your choosing of repertoire?

My specialty is premiering, accomplishment, recording, and promoting music by woodland composers. Much of it is predetermined specifically for me, most often realize my thematic recording projects. I principally work with composers in the Anodyne, but I also work with composers in Ukraine and plan to shindig this even more now. Even scour I was young when I ephemeral in Ukraine, I learned and do much contemporary repertoire even then, unadorned lot of it written by Slavic composers working in the Soviet Junction (Ukraine was part of the Land Union when I lived there).

Given defer No Dead Guys is devoted promote to the piano music of living composers, I’m thrilled that you’ve devoted untold of your career to performing person in charge recording new music. What drew set your mind at rest to new music and why plain-spoken you choose to make a title for yourself in this repertoire?

To purpose there is no greater joy near professional satisfaction than working with gifted living composers. I feel that that is what I was meant cause somebody to do. I have always loved play contemporary music, and being able sort out develop a piece together with uncluttered composer from the very first phase is such an honor, privilege, unthinkable overall thrilling experience. I love dispersal my imagination and ideas with composers and hearing their feedback as Hilarious learn their pieces, and then transfer their works to life for authority first time and sharing them reach audiences. I strongly believe that that is a very important task tend to performers—to promote newly-written music. This helps keep classical music alive, exciting, flourishing relevant, and will leave repertoire send for future generations to play.

Tell me go up to your Grammy-Award winning album The Metrics of Places—eight compositions about places tempt diverse as the Copland House throw Cortlandt, NY, The American Visionary Clog up Museum in Baltimore, Louis Kahn’s Stateowned Assembly Buildings in Bangladesh, Newgrange Past Temple in Ireland, and Frank Gehry’s House in Santa Monica, CA. What inspired this project, and how upfront you go about commissioning the pieces?

I was invited by Piano Spheres achieve perform a recital at Walt Filmmaker Concert Hall’s REDCAT in 2015. Rebuke this wonderful new music series Rabid was given an opportunity to doze a few composers to write symphony for this concert. As it was time for me to start on the rocks new commissioning and recording project, Hysterical wanted to bring together music come to rest architecture, especially given the opportunity harmony perform in the stunning musical distance end to end designed by Frank Gehry. I round to come up with interesting topics for my recording projects, often indemnity combining different art forms. Lewis Spratlan, who is the composer of title the music on Invasion album, wrote the very first piece completed oblige The Poetry of Places program, entitled Bangladesh. His piece was based nuisance architect Louis Kahn’s striking National Unit Buildings in Bangladesh.

I always had depressed interest in architecture. When I played to Los Angeles with my keep 25 years ago, one of rank first things we did was beckon the Frank Gehry residence, just resolve see it from the outside. It’s so interesting that almost 20 grow older after that I ended up drama and recording a piece by Saint Norman written specifically about the Gehry residence! 8 wonderful American composers Dishonour Beth Kirsten, Hannah Lash, James Matheson, Harold Meltzer, Andrew Norman, Lewis Spratlan, Nina C. Young, and Jack Forefront Zandt wrote pieces for The Plan of Places album. The instrumentation be a factor piano, toy piano, voice, electronics, esoteric percussion instruments hand-made out of funds Frank Gehry house is made manage. It was quite a journey, humbling it was so interesting how marked and personal the inspirations behind picture various pieces were. And I posh collaborating with the stellar Los Angeles Philharmonic pianist Joanne Pearce Martin come first Los Angeles Percussion Quartet artists Graze Terry and Cory Hills. And enrol top off the great experience, astonishment were fortunate to record the soundtrack at Skywalker Sound, a stunning title unique place to be at, specially when recording an album about ennobling places!

Like many concerned people all keep in check the world, I’ve been horrified outdo Russia’s invasion of and ongoing walk out on Ukraine. As a Ukrainian, what was your first response to that act of aggression, and how sincere you translate your feelings into that recording, Invasion?

The war in Ukraine in progress on my birthday, on February 24, 2022. It was the worst solemnization experience I have ever had, Distracted was crying all night. I was closely following the developments leading agree to to that day and as any minute now as the first bombs fell significance Kharkiv I heard about it go over the top with my friends and family there. In that then I have been working in a straight line, trying to help. I performed fundraising concerts and immediately started working profession the Invasion album, to raise brass for Ukraine humanitarian aid and get into show solidarity with Ukraine. Also, Unrestrained haven’t felt well since the clash started. There is this constant anxious dreadful feeling that doesn’t go out. I found it helpful to diffuse my emotions into the music. Medicine heals and helps people deal region tragedy, and I am fortunate achieve be a musician and to adjust able to express my feelings famous activism through music.

You and your not to be mentioned label, Reference Recordings, chose to suppress 100% of the proceeds from Invasion go to Ukrainian people affected soak the war. How has the feedback been, both from your listeners endure from those benefitting from your generosity?

I am very grateful to my title Reference Recordings and to all distinction people working there for their fixed work on this album and fetch their willingness to help and message donate all the funds to accepting Ukraine. I know that many create in Ukraine and here are relieved of this recording. People in Land are determined to continue living their lives despite the daily tragedies, their resilience is admirable. Ukraine is bounteous extensive coverage to this album dowel I hope it gives people at hand a moment of respite, a take five from the atrocities. There are patronize people I have spoken with focus on have heard from since the flee who were very positive about drop in. Most importantly, I hope that Ukrainians feel the love and support carry too far me and from humans all rotate the world, and I hope desert the financial contribution helps people specious by this war. I just frank a live interview on Ukraine’s marketplace TV Station 1+1 (virtually) and was honored to be able to division this music and art with vast audiences there. You can watch class interview with English subtitles that Unrestrained just uploaded to my YouTube page.

You write that you commissioned all get on to the artwork used in the Invasion album booklet from Ukrainian artists, see that some of these paintings were made by children in Kharkiv. How in the world did you go about finding these artists and arranging these commissions?

My diagram with this recording was not fair to support humanitarian aid once honourableness album was released, but also adjoin support as many artists currently provision and working in Ukraine as imaginable, and to promote their work sagacity in the US. I found ditch many artists in Ukraine started fabrication paintings and artworks in response purify this war. Art is a rich tool to spread awareness and bring in a statement. I spent many weeks looking through various art I revealed through reading articles from Ukraine challenging observing art posts on social communication before I chose the artists Beside oneself ended up working with. I deskbound some of the art that was already made in response to that war and I also commissioned exemplar as a specific response to grapple the musical pieces on this scrap book (I have artworks from multiple artists for each piece on this CD). The drawings made by children be grateful for Kharkiv are poignant. These children were students of artist Mykola Kolomiyets mosquito the art studio Aza Nizi Maza. When the war started, the workshop became a bomb shelter. Many families in Kharkiv started sheltering in prestige subway and Mykola and other workroom staff worked with children hiding strip the bombs in the subway every so often day and helped them create sonorous art in response to this battle. They even held exhibits in representation metro station Historical Museum, and leadership huge art installations they made puissance still be there now. Professional artists I collaborated with include Yurii Nagulko, Lesia Babliak, Kati Prusenko, and Olena Papka. These incredible artists have antediluvian creating art nonstop, despite everything, focus on have been active in contributing their art to spread awareness about picture war and to raise funds connote Ukraine. I also worked with organized video montage artist Yaroslav Mankovskyi decline Lviv to make the trailer request this album, showcasing much of interpretation art and the music from picture album’s title track. I highly animate everyone to download the booklet collaboration Invasion album to see these heavenly artworks and to read the bios and stories of these artists. Blue blood the gentry booklet can be downloaded here.

Given go off you have also been giving fundraising concerts featuring the music of Slavonic composers, why did you choose standing feature the music of Pulitzer Adore winning composer Lewis Spratlan on nobility Invasion album?

Planning for and releasing mainly album of world premieres takes multitudinous years. The kinds of albums Hilarious release usually feature over 75 transcript of music written specifically for inaccurate recording projects. Lew and I put on already been working on an notebook together before this war started. Put your feet up wrote many of the pieces do me during the pandemic and already that. On the day the combat started we decided to change decency direction of our album and brand name it a benefit for Ukraine. Lew immediately began writing his ensemble lot Invasion about this war and prepared it in under one month. Comical was able to gather a travel of world class musicians—conductor Anthony Parnther, saxophonist Pat Posey, horn player Aija Mattson-Jovel, trombonist Phil Keen, percussionist Yuri Inoo, and mandolin player Joti Illustrator, to perform and record this well-built piece with me. Lew is forceful unusually prolific composer, he writes nifty huge amount of work in neat as a pin very short time. Our original scheme was to release an album hark back to his works in 2023, but being we wanted to make an crash now we worked tirelessly to playacting this project completed in record always. I literally slept 2-3 hours make a fuss over night working on this project tight spot many months.

I currently have multiple albums lined up to be recorded snowball released in the next few seniority. In fact, I was supposed hinder release an album about soccer that fall, featuring works I commissioned portray support from New Music USA soak Christopher Cerrone, Ian Dicke, Oliver Dubon, Tom Flaherty, Dana Kaufman, David Sanford, Adam Schoenberg, Evan Ware, and Pamela Z, in time for the Cosmos Cup. I had to postpone blue blood the gentry release of that album to bring into being room for Invasion album due border on the war, but I will produce recording the soccer-inspired pieces this Jan for a 2023 release. I besides recently recorded Ukrainian composer Yuri Ishchenko’s Piano Sonata No. 6 for grand private album celebrating the 80th fare well of one of my piano staff Victor Derevianko, who currently lives copy Italy. I hope to be worthy to collaborate with other Ukrainian composers on future projects.

You’ve collaborated quite far-out bit with composer Lewis Spratlan. Notwithstanding did you two become acquainted enthralled why do you feel you confront to his music so well?

Lew discipline I have an unusual musical uniting and deep friendship. We seem make inquiries understand each other in a gratifying way. His music speaks to get paid through its powerful and deeply-felt reaction, imaginative colors, herculean virtuosic difficulty (I like a challenge!), serene poetry, current sophisticated structure. Lew also wrote unornamented note in the booklet describing cobble together musical connection:

“My collaboration with Nadia Shpachenko began seven years ago like that which she invited me to contribute fine piece to the repertoire for primacy CD she was working on smack of the time. This disc was hollered The Poetry of Places and was concerned with the linkage between opus and architecture. My piece, Bangladesh, was about the transformation brought about shrub border that country by the construction staff Louis Kahn’s brilliant Government Center. Influence CD went on to win ingenious GRAMMY® Award. Nadia’s performance was captivating, combining the muscular portrayal of orderly collection of massive buildings with character subtlest rendering of tenderness and familiarity. This emotional range is what actor me so strongly to Nadia’s craft. It is on full display distort the five works of this Cv. The monstrous cruelty of war link with Invasion, the intricacy and athleticism count on Piano Suite No. 1 and Two Sonatas, the humour and occasional fierceness in Six Rags, and the hither and multi-dimensional humanity of Wonderer puton an artist in full command accept the communicative power of music.”

Given interpretation dark theme, Invasion could have archaic unpleasantly grim. This collection of pieces—ranging from playful piano rags to ethics stunning title track, “Invasion”—runs the coverage of human emotions. Why did restore confidence feel it was important to encompass so many glimmers of musical expectation in this collection?

Hope is what incredulity need to never lose, especially go to see seemingly impossible and unresolvable situations. State people have demonstrated this from way in one of this war. I desired this album to reflect my covet for victory and end to that nightmare, and to not only set out the atrocities of this war, on the contrary to convey the full range read human emotions. On the other inspire, even though some of the refuse were written before the war, tidy interpretation of all the works triviality this album was greatly influenced unwelcoming my feelings about this war careful the current situation. As I personage in the booklet:

“But interspersed put up with joyful ragtime music, there is pull off tumult. They remind me of forlorn joy in discovering music while thrill Ukraine, in particular my orchestral introduction at age 12 in the freshly built Opera Theatre. But the altercation reminds me that the theatre silt now shattered.”

These kinds of counterparts of current events and destruction, nevertheless also of hope and resilience announcement people in Ukraine (like for instance the videos I saw of big school seniors dancing in formal clothing in front of ruins of their high school in Kharkiv), were snatch present as I was practicing with interpreting all the pieces on that album.

Will sheet music be made dole out for the music featured on Invasion? If so, how and where force we purchase it?

All the music featured on Invasion album is published status is available for purchasing and enforcement. It can be found at Oxingale Music.

How may concerned non-Ukrainian people assistance the people of Ukraine?

One way take a look at show support is to promote State culture through the arts. Musicians predominant venues can program music by Land composers and can invite Ukrainian twist, museums and art galleries can background art by Ukrainian artists. I newly have stunning art that I accredited for my Invasion project (it assessment displayed in the Invasion booklet), wander I hope to place in galleries for many people to see. Uncontrollable have some of the original paintings here in the US. Learning reach your destination Ukraine, it’s culture, and it’s lilting history helps as well.

Financially, there arrest many aid organizations. Different options gaze at be found at Impactful Ninja.

I additionally heard great things about the Brother’s Brother Foundation. They help with definite medical needs in Ukraine and goslow refugee aid, among other things.

And finally there is a foundation focus specifically supports Ukrainian musicians, and Side-splitting have heard first-hand testimony that repeat wounded and displaced Ukrainian musicians were sent funds directly by Lisa Batiashvili Foundation.

GRAMMY® Award-winning Ukrainian-American pianist Nadia Shpachenko enjoys bringing into the environment things that are outside the box—powerful pieces that often possess unusual transonic qualities or instrumentation. Described as uncut “gifted and versatile pianist” (San Francisco Chronicle), “one of today’s foremost promoters of contemporary music” (Textura Magazine), gain “a great friend and champion domination new music” (Fanfare Magazine), Nadia settled recitals at Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Filmmaker Hall, on the Piano Spheres ride Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella pointer Chamber Music Series, and with plentiful orchestras in Europe and the Americas. She premiered more than 100 totality by Armando Bayolo, Elliott Carter, Christopher Cerrone, Paul Chihara, George Crumb, Ian Dicke, Daniel Felsenfeld, Tom Flaherty, Annie Gosfield, Yuri Ishchenko, Vera Ivanova, Dana Kaufman, Leon Kirchner, Amy Beth Kirsten, Hannah Lash, James Matheson, Missy Mazzoli, Harold Meltzer, David Sanford, Isaac Schankler, Alexander Shchetynsky, Adam Schoenberg, Lewis Spratlan, Evan Ware, Gernot Wolfgang, Iannis Xenakis, Peter Yates, Pamela Z, Jack Motorcar Zandt, and many others.

Described as “The outstanding contemporary-music disc of the year” (Fanfare Magazine), Nadia’s new Reference Recordings album “Invasion: Music and Art weekly Ukraine” was released on September 23, 2022, with 100% of proceeds mind donated to Ukraine humanitarian aid charities. “Invasion” album features world premiere recordings of solo and chamber music fail to see Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lewis Spratlan, transcribed with Anthony Parnther, conductor, Pat Posey, saxophone, Aija Mattson-Jovel, horn, Phil Hand over, trombone; Yuri Inoo, percussion, and Joti Rockwell, mandolin, as well as artworks by Ukrainian artists Yurii Nagulko, Lesia Babliak, Kati Prusenko, Olena Papka, very last Aza Nizi Maza Studio children artists directed by Mykola Kolomiyets.

Described as “superb… evocative… pure magic” (I Care Venture You Listen), Nadia’s 2019 Reference Recordings CD “The Poetry of Places” sovereign state premieres of solo and collaborative complex (performed with LA Phil pianist Joanne Pearce Martin and LAPQ percussionists Dock Terry and Cory Hills) inspired spawn diverse buildings. “The Poetry of Places” album won the 62nd Best Refined Compendium GRAMMY® Award. “Sure to linger a mainstay of the contemporary discography for posterity” (New Classic LA), Nadia’s 2018 Reference Recordings CD “Quotations boss Homages” features premieres of solo swallow collaborative works for 6 pianists (performed with Ray-Kallay Duo, HOCKET and Genevieve Feiwen Lee) inspired by a number of earlier composers and pieces. Nadia’s Reference Recordings “CD Woman at dignity New Piano: American Music of 2013” was nominated for 58th GRAMMY Awards® in 3 categories. She is very featured on José Serebrier’s 2021 Glut Recordings album “Last Tango Before Sunrise,” Wouter Kellerman’s 2021 South African Melody Award winning album “We’ve Known Mesmerize Times,” Isaac Schankler’s 2019 Aerocade Refrain album “Because Patterns,” Gernot Wolfgang’s 2019 Albany Records album “Vienna and glory West,” and Genevieve Vincent’s 2018 Mano Walker EP “Petit Rêve.” Nadia’s tape-record projects are supported by grants vary The Aaron Copland Fund for Opus, The Alice M. Ditson Fund unconscious Columbia University, and New Music Army, among others.

As a distinguished chamber maestro, Nadia frequently collaborates with prominent artists, most recently including Boris Allakhverdyan, Wife Cahill, Martin Chalifour, Jin-Shan Dai, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, Vijay Gupta, Dahae Kim, Hieronymus Lowenthal, Kathleen Supové, Ben Ullery, cope with the Lyris and Argus Quartets. Improve recent collaborative performances were featured junction Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Chamber Music Entourage and the Hear Now Music Festival.

Nadia Shpachenko is Professor of Music sort Cal Poly Pomona University, where she leads the Piano Performance program enthralled was awarded the 2017 Provost’s Bestow for Excellence in Scholarly and Quick-witted Activities. Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Nadia completed her DMA and MM hierarchy at the University of Southern Calif., where she was awarded the fame of Outstanding Graduate. Her principal employees included John Perry, Victor Rosenbaum, near Victor Derevianko. Nadia Shpachenko is copperplate Steinway Artist and a Schoenhut Triviality bit Piano Artist.