Rachmaninoff 150: The Varshavsky-Shapiro Piano Duo

Join us in the Main Gallery of The Museum of Russian Art for an evening of Rachmaninoff (and more!) featuring renowned pianists Stanislava Varshavski and Diana Shapiro . Two pianos, four hands! The Museum is known for offering the best in classical music. Sit amongst the artwork and enjoy the incredible acoustics of the gallery. Please join us for what will certainly be a memorable evening.

Thank you to our generous sponsor, Schmitt Music

Saturday, October 7 | 7:00 – 8:30 PM | Doors open at 6:00 PM

All galleries and TMORA Shop will be open prior to and following the performance

Tickets: Reserved Seating $30 | TMORA Members $25 (Use discount code CELEBRATE150 at checkout to access discount)

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PROGRAM

Darius Milhaud: Scaramouche, op. 165b

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Photo by Andrew Chiciak

“A piano duo that can charm even the most versed music lovers” (Gazeta Krakowska, Poland), the Varshavski-Shapiro Piano Duo is comprised of pianists Stanislava Varshavski and Diana Shapiro, who began playing together in 1998. Since then, they have gone on to capture the top prizes at numerous competitions, including the most prestigious competition for piano duos – the Murray Dranoff International Piano Competition in Miami. A winner of the Astral Artists’ 2012 National Auditions, the Varshavski-Shapiro Piano Duo also won first prizes at Italy’s XV Piano Competition Rome 2004, the Jerusalem’s Kol HaMusica Young Artists Competition, the Israel Chamber Music Competition, the XIII Schubert Competition in the Czech Republic, and the First International Piano Duo Competition in Bialystok, Poland.

The Varshavski-Shapiro Piano Duo has performed in such distinguished venues as the HKAPA Concert Hall in Hong Kong, Henry Crown Symphony Hall in Jerusalem, Teatro Valle in Rome, and Lincoln Theater in Miami. They have appeared with the Radio Orchestra in Munich, the Israel Chamber Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, and Miami’s New World Symphony. Outside of their current home base in Wisconsin and Illinois, the duo has recently given concerts in Georgia, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Texas, where they performed Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra.

The Duo has recorded for Bavarian Radio, Radio 4 of Hong Kong, Israeli National Radio and TV, and New York’s WQXR. They recently produced a CD in collaboration with Wisconsin Public Radio. The performances were also broadcast live on WPR and recorded for a documentary film, presented on Wisconsin television.

As music educators, Varshavski and Shapiro frequently present lectures and master classes across the United States. In 2016, they were invited to showcase at the National Conference of the Chamber Music America and served as judges at the Chicago International Competition for Piano Duos.

Both Ms. Varshavski and Ms. Shapiro hold Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where they studied with the legendary Israeli duo Alexander Tamir–Bracha Eden. They continued their education under renowned American pianist Victor Rosenbaum, and in 2011 both pianists completed Doctoral degree studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ms. Shapiro is an Assistant Professor of Piano and Chair of the Music Department at Silver Lake College and Ms. Varshavski is Director of Education at the Holy Family Conservatory of Music.