Nadia Shpachenko

Multiple GRAMMY® nominated pianist Nadia Shpachenko enjoys bringing into the world things that are outside the box – powerful pieces that often possess unusual sonic qualities or instrumentation. Described by critics as a “truly inspiring and brilliant pianist… spellbinding in sensitivity and mastery of technique,” she performs on piano, toy piano, harpsichord, and percussion in concerts that often also feature recitation, electronics and multimedia. Nadia’s concert highlights include solo recitals at Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Bargemusic, the Phillips Collection, and REDCAT @ Disney Hall, as well as numerous appearances as soloist with orchestras in Europe and the Americas.

An enthusiastic promoter of contemporary music, Nadia has given world and national premieres of more than 50 works by Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Daniel Felsenfeld, Tom Flaherty, Annie Gosfield, Vera Ivanova, Leon Kirchner, Amy Beth Kirsten, Hannah Lash, James Matheson, Missy Mazzoli, Harold Meltzer, Adam Schoenberg, Lewis Spratlan, Iannis Xenakis, Peter Yates, and others. Described as “an exceptional recording of newly composed piano works,” Nadia’s CD “Woman at the New Piano: American Music of 2013” was nominated for 58th GRAMMY® Awards in 3 categories: Best Classical Compendium, Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance by Nadia Shpachenko and Genevieve Feiwen Lee for Tom Flaherty’s “Airdancing” for Toy Piano, Piano and Electronics, and Producer of the Year, Classical for Marina A. Ledin and Victor Ledin. Nadia’s upcoming recording project “Quotations and Homages” features newly-written solo and collaborative works for 6 pianists (performed with Ray-Kallay Duo, HOCKET and Genevieve Feiwen Lee) inspired by a variety of earlier composers and pieces, from Beethoven to Brahms to Stravinsky to Messiaen to Carter to Gubaidulina to The Velvet Underground. Nadia’s upcoming recording project “The Poetry of Places” features new solo and collaborative works (performed with pianist Joanne Pearce Martin and percussionists Nick Terry and Ted Atkatz) inspired by diverse buildings.

Nadia Shpachenko is Professor of Music at Cal Poly Pomona University, where she leads the Piano Performance program. She is also on the faculty of Claremont Graduate University, where she teaches Doctoral piano students. Her principal teachers included John Perry, Victor Rosenbaum, and Victor Derevianko. Nadia Shpachenko is a Steinway Artist and a Schoenhut Toy Piano Artist.