Sophie Shao & Milana Strezeva

Cellist Sophie Shao, winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and top prizes at the Rostropovich and Tchaikovsky competitions, is a versatile and passionate artist whose performances the New York Times has described as “eloquent, powerful,” the LA Times noted as “impressive” and the Washington Post called “deeply satisfying.” Shao has appeared as soloist to critical acclaim throughout the United States and has commissioned Howard Shore’s cello concerto Mythic Gardens, performing the premiere with Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra, the UK premiere with Keith Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra, and European premiere with Ludwig Wicki and the 21st Century Orchestra. She also premiered Richard Wilson’s The Cello Has Many Secrets and Shih-Hui Chen’s multimedia concerto Our Son is Not Coming Home to Dinner. Shao has appeared as soloist throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, with the Houston Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, and Pacific Symphony.

Ms. Shao has given recitals in Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Middlebury College, Phillips Collection, University of Notre Dame, Lyric Society of New York, at Lincoln Center, Bargemusic, and the complete Bach Suites at Union College. Her dedication to chamber music has conceived her popular “Sophie Shao and Friends” groups and performs in festivals around the country such as Chamber Music Northwest, Vail, Santa Fe, and Festival Mosaic. She has attended the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia Steans Institute, and a member of Chamber Music Society Two, a young artist residency of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. She is a dedicated music educator, presenting a lecture “Why Bach is Still Relevant in the 21st Century” and recital at the National Gallery of Art, artist-in-residence at the Zeta Charter Schools in the Bronx, masterclasses at University of Michigan, Juilliard, Indiana University, and is on faculty at the University of Connecticut, where she teaches cello, chamber music, and organizes an annual UConn Cello Day. She has previously been on the faculty of Vassar College, Princeton University, and Bard Conservatory.

Ms. Shao’s recordings include the Complete Bach Suites, Andre Previn’s “Reflections” for Cello and English Horn and Orchestra on EMI Classics, Richard Wilson’s Diablerie and Brash Attacks and Barbara White’s My Barn Having Burned to the Ground, I Can Now See the Moon on Albany Records, Howard Shore’s original score for the movie The Betrayal on Howe Records, Marlboro Music Festival’s 50th Anniversary on Bridge Records, Herschel Garfein’s The Layers on Asic Records, and Howard Shore’s Mythic Gardens on Sony Classical. Her new solo album, CanCan Macabre, has just been released on Centaur Records.

A native of Houston, Texas, Ms. Shao began playing the cello at age six, and studied with Shirley Trepel, the principal cellist of the Houston Symphony. At age thirteen she enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, studying cello with David Soyer and chamber music with Felix Galimir. After graduating from the Curtis Institute, she continued her cello studies with Aldo Parisot at Yale University, receiving a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale College and an M.M. from the Yale School of Music, where she was enrolled as a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow. She plays on an Honore Derazey cello ca. 1855, formerly owned by Pablo Casals.

“[Milana Strezeva] Technically fluid, dramatically convincing, and sonically full-bodied supportive collaborations.” – Boston Globe

Milana Strezeva is an accomplished pianist, founding member of the Manhattan Piano Trio, and co-founder of the Grand Piano Series.  Milana’s experience as a stellar performer and strategic arts executive has come together at the Grand Piano Series, where she has demonstrated an innate ability to foster collaborations and contribute positively to community enrichment through music.

Under Milana’s excellent stewardship and an unwavering commitment to artists, the Grand Piano Series has grown and flourished since its founding in 2016.  As President and Artistic Director of the organization for the past eight years, Milana has demonstrated a meticulous approach to cultivating fiscal health and innovative growth, garnering admiration across Southwest Florida and beyond.

Critics have praised Milana for her “technically fluid, dramatically convincing, and sonically full-bodied supportive collaborations” (Boston Globe). At the age of 11, she began playing chamber music with her clarinetist father and her mother, a renowned soprano, Svetlana Strezeva. Milana’s love for family collaboration eventually grew into a passionate advocacy of vocal and instrumental chamber music.

A founding member of the award-winning Manhattan Piano Trio, one of the most creative and dynamic ensembles in America, Milana has performed in more than 30 American states, in Australia, South Africa, and Italy, and venues such as Alice Tully Hall (Lincoln Center), Merkin Hall (Kaufman Music Center), and the Ravinia Festival (Chicago).  The Washington Post described the Trio as “impressive” and “outstanding,” while the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said, “One seldom is privileged to enjoy the music of such a wide range of styles performed with self-effacing skill and relaxed assurance.”

Milana has received her training at The Juilliard School as a student of Bella Davidovich and Julian Martin.