Shriver Hall Concert Series: Steven Isserlis, cello & Connie Shih, piano

Description

Cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Connie Shih will perform the Piatigorsky Memorial Concert as part of the 2022-2023 Shriver Hall Concert Series.

Acclaimed worldwide for his profound musicianship and technical mastery, British cellist Steven Isserlis enjoys a uniquely varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, author and broadcaster. He appears with the world's leading orchestras and conductors, and gives recitals in major musical centers. As a chamber musician, he has curated concert series for many prestigious venues, including London's Wigmore Hall, New York's 92nd Street Y, and the Salzburg Festival. Unusually, he also directs chamber orchestras from the cello in classical programs. The recipient of many awards, Steven's honors include a CBE in recognition of his services to music, the Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau, the Piatigorsky Prize and Maestro Foundation Genius Grant in the U.S, the Glashütte Award in Germany, the Gold Medal awarded by the Armenian Ministry of Culture, and the Wigmore Medal. Steven plays the 'Marquis de Corberon' Stradivarius of 1726, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.

Connie Shih is repeatedly considered to be one of Canada's most outstanding artists. In 1993, she was awarded the Sylva Gelber Award for most outstanding classical artist under age 30. At the age of nine, she made her orchestral debut with Mendelssohn's first Piano Concerto with the Seattle Symphony. At the age of 12, she was the youngest ever protégé of György Sebők, and then continued her studies at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia with Claude Frank, himself a protégé of Arthur Schnabel. Later studies were undertaken with Fou Tsong in Europe. In 2021, Shih toured Asia, America, Europe, and Australia with Steven Isserlis. In 2017, she released her first of her two CDs with Steven Isserlis on the BIS label, while this year will see the release of their first CD collaboration on Hyperion. Shih was adjunct faculty at the Hochschule für Musik Mainz and presently at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg. In addition she has given masterclasses at renowned music institutions and was on the faculty at the Casalmaggiore International Festival in Italy.