BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:166@grandpianoseries.org DTSTART;TZID=Pacific/Easter:20180621T193000 DTEND;TZID=Pacific/Easter:20180621T210000 DTSTAMP:20260129T172230Z URL:https://grandpianoseries.org/events/sophie-shao-milana-strezeva/ SUMMARY:Sophie Shao & Milana Strezeva DESCRIPTION:\n\n\n\n\n \;\n\nCellist Sophie Shao\, winner of the presti gious Avery Fisher Career Grant and top prizes at the Rostropovich and Tch aikovsky competitions\, is a versatile and passionate artist whose perform ances the New York Times has described as “eloquent\, powerful\,” the LA Times noted as “impressive” and the Washington Post called “deepl y satisfying.” Shao has appeared as soloist to critical acclaim througho ut the United States and has commissioned Howard Shore’s cello concerto Mythic Gardens\, performing the premiere with Leon Botstein and the Americ an Symphony Orchestra\, the UK premiere with Keith Lockhart and the BBC Co ncert Orchestra\, and European premiere with Ludwig Wicki and the 21st Cen tury Orchestra. She also premiered Richard Wilson’s The Cello Has Many S ecrets and Shih-Hui Chen’s multimedia concerto Our Son is Not Coming Hom e to Dinner. Shao has appeared as soloist throughout the United States\, E urope and Asia\, with the Houston Symphony\, National Symphony Orchestra o f Taiwan\, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine\, and Pacific Symphony.\ n\nMs. Shao has given recitals in Suntory Hall in Tokyo\, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society\, Middlebury College\, Phillips Collection\, Univer sity of Notre Dame\, Lyric Society of New York\, at Lincoln Center\, Barge music\, and the complete Bach Suites at Union College. Her dedication to c hamber music has conceived her popular “Sophie Shao and Friends” group s and performs in festivals around the country such as Chamber Music North west\, Vail\, Santa Fe\, and Festival Mosaic. She has attended the Marlbor o Music Festival\, Ravinia Steans Institute\, and a member of Chamber Musi c Society Two\, a young artist residency of the Chamber Music Society of L incoln Center. She is a dedicated music educator\, presenting a lecture “Why Bach is Still Relevant in the 21st Century” and recital at the Na tional 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 s he teaches cello\, chamber music\, and organizes an annual UConn Cello Day . She has previously been on the faculty of Vassar College\, Princeton Uni versity\, and Bard Conservatory.\n\nMs. Shao’s recordings include the Co mplete Bach Suites\, Andre Previn’s “Reflections” for Cello and Engl ish 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 As ic Records\, and Howard Shore’s Mythic Gardens on Sony Classical. Her ne w solo album\, CanCan Macabre\, has just been released on Centaur Records. \n\nA native of Houston\, Texas\, Ms. Shao began playing the cello at age six\, and studied with Shirley Trepel\, the principal cellist of the Houst on 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 play s on an Honore Derazey cello ca. 1855\, formerly owned by Pablo Casals.\n\ n\n\n“[Milana Strezeva] Technically fluid\, dramatically convincing\, an d sonically full-bodied supportive collaborations.” - Boston Globe\n\nMi lana Strezeva is an accomplished pianist\, founding member of the Manhatta n Piano Trio\, and co-founder of the Grand Piano Series.  Milana's experi ence 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.\n\nUnder Milana’s excellent stewardship and an unwaverin g commitment to artists\, the Grand Piano Series has grown and flourished since its founding in 2016.  As President and Artistic Director of the or ganization for the past eight years\, Milana has demonstrated a meticulous approach to cultivating fiscal health and innovative growth\, garnering a dmiration across Southwest Florida and beyond.\n\nCritics have praised Mil ana 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 mot her\, a renowned soprano\, Svetlana Strezeva. Milana’s love for family c ollaboration eventually grew into a passionate advocacy of vocal and instr umental chamber music.\n\nA 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\, Sout h 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 “out standing\,” while the Sarasota Herald-Tribune said\, “One seldom is pr ivileged to enjoy the music of such a wide range of styles performed with self-effacing skill and relaxed assurance.”\n\nMilana has received her t raining at The Juilliard School as a student of Bella Davidovich and Julia n Martin.\n\n\n\n\n\nProgram\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJ.S. Bach: from Cello Suite in C Major\, BWV 1009: 1. Prelude 5. Bourrées I &\; II 6. Gigue\n\nChopi n: Sonata for Cello and Piano in g minor Op. 65\n\nDvořák: Rondo Op. 94 No. 5\n\nDvořák: Silent Woods\, From the Bohemian Forest Op. 68 No. 5\n\ n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \;\n\n\n\nGet Tickets\n\n\n ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://i0.wp.com/grandpianoseries.org/wp-conten t/uploads/2026/01/SophieShao_black.jpg?fit=1334%2C1334&ssl=1 CATEGORIES:Past Events END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Pacific/Easter X-LIC-LOCATION:Pacific/Easter BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20180512T210000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:-06 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR