Pianist Yury Shadrin will make his Philippine debut at the first season concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra on September 15, 8:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Main Theater. He will be performing Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat by Lizst.
“I am very excited to perform with the PPO in September. This will be my first visit to the Philippines and I very much looking forward to that concert,” the pianist said.
Shadrin is a renowned soloist and recitalist, and has appeared in major venues from Geneva to Caracas, including the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. More recently, he performed in concerts at the Central Conservatory in China and the Chicago Cultural Center, and he returned to the Kennedy Center last May.
Based in the US, Shadrin’s pathway to Manila began when he first worked with Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura, the PPO’s music director and conductor.
“I was lucky to have a chance to perform with Maestro Fukumura before and have great memories of that concert where we performed Chopin E Minor concerto,” Shadrin stated. “Maestro Fukumura is a wonderful musician and I was happy to receive the invitation to perform with him again.”
Shadrin is the Artistic Director of Baltimore International Piano Festival, a program that was created to give an opportunity for young musicians of all ages to work with and observe world’s most prominent musicians and teachers.
“Our program is very intensive, filled with activities such as master classes and private lessons; chamber music seminars; music history and music theory classes; performance practice and public speaking classes,” Shadrin explained. “Our youngest participants have a chance to perform on stage with our faculty members and attend all the classes regardless of their level. We believe in idea that highest level of music making is accessible for everyone.”
A Moscow Conservatory graduate, Shadrin studied with world-renowned pianists Lev Naumov and Eliso Virsaladze. Moving to the United States, he studied at the Oberlin Conservatory with Monique Duphil, at Yale with Peter Frankl, and most recently at the Peabody Institute with the great American master Leon Fleisher. In addition to performing, Yury Shadrin previously taught and performed as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Oberlin Conservatory.
As a soloist, Shadrin has performed concertos with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Miami Symphony, Orchestra Sinfonica of Venezuela, the Salta Symphony Orchestra (Argentina), the Caracas Municipal Symphony, and the Vietnam National Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Peabody and Oberlin orchestras. He has been featured in radio and TV broadcasts in Vietnam, Venezuela, China, Japan, and the US.
Shadrin gained international recognition as a first prize winner of the Rome International Piano Competition and grand prize winner at the Siberian Piano Competition. In recent years, he has taken top honors at the World Piano Competition, the Maracaibo International Piano Competition, and the Yale Gordon Competition.
Shadrin is married to international concert soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and duo pianist Tian Lu.
“Being married to a pianist has its advantages. We do perform a lot of wonderful music written for duo and 2 pianos,” Shadrin revealed. “At the same time you can rely on an extra and very honest opinion about your playing as well.”
In addition to practicing on the piano, Shadrin emphasizes it is very important to stay in great physical shape. “I do yoga and try to exercise at least several times a week. Meditation is also a great way to focus and make your performance very special.”
Shadrin is one of 11 guest musicians to be featured in the 2017-2018 Performance Season of the PPO billed “Romancing the Classics”.
For information about Shadrin’s performance with the PPO, call the CCP Box Office (832-3704), TicketWorld (891-9999).
