The 'Seventh Chapter of Fine Brass' has also 'premiered' to Australian audiences the music of David Sanford, Daniel Grabois and New York trumpeter, Jon Nelson, a former member of the highly successful, 'Meridian Arts Ensemble'.

He has already written over fifty works, including orchestral pieces, chamber works, piano pieces and art songs. 2002 saw the world premiere of his Piano Concerto No.1, given by Andrew Zolinsky with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Cleobury. In addition to this he has written Symphony No.1, for wind orchestra; a symphonic poem, 'The Pillar of Seikilos'; a Concertino for Violin and Orchestra; a suite for 11 instruments,'A Salvador Dalí Suite', premiered by e2K in 1999, conducted by Robin Newton; several works for double basses, including two commissions for a work for bass quartet, 'Invocation', and a mammoth score for twenty basses, 'Cori Spezzati', both given their first performances at Wellington College, Berkshire, UK. , Other pieces, including a motet for Soprano and chamber orchestra have been performed at King's College, London.

He is a prize-winner of five international composers competitions: named after Kazimierz Serocki and Witold Lutoslawski in Poland, Composers Competition of Sacred Music in Switzerland, Henri Dutilleux Composers Competition in France, Gustav Mahler Composers Competition in Austria. In 2000 his chamber opera "Annunciation" was awarded the Russian National Theatrical Prize Gold Mask in nomination "innovation".

Since late 80s his compositions have been regularly presented at many important festivals in Europe, performed among others by the Moscow opera house "Helikon-Opera", the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, children's choir Maitrise de Radio France, the Arditti String Quartet, the Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, Ensemble Wiener Collage, Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, Mark Pekarsky Percussion Ensemble, the pianist Ivar Mikhashoff, soprano Phyllis Bryn-Julson. His creative preferences are fundamentally evident in instrumental and vocal compositions of religious content.

Christopher has performed extensively around England and Europe including the British Premiere of John Joubert's 'Three Faces of Love' at the Windsor Festival.

Christopher has sung with the London Mozart Players, the Monteverdi Choir, the Gabrieli Consort and the Musicke Company with which he made his Wigmore Hall debut.

Ms. Shields began her piano studies with Elaine Felder at the Music Institute of Chicago. She first gained recognition, at the age of nine, as a prize winner in the YKAA International Piano Competition in Winter Park, Florida. Most recently, she was a top prize winner in the Kosciuszko Chopin Competition in 2002.

Highly regarded as a chamber musician, she has participated in such festivals as the Yellow Barn Music Festival, the Banff Chamber Music Festival, the Taos School of Music, and the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival. She has collaborated with such well-known artists as Barbara Stein Mallow, Itzhak Perlman, Kathy Murdock, Pinchas Zukerman, and Andre Emelianoff. In 2001 she received the Carmen Mihalache Dimulescu Memorial Award, given by the Cleveland Institute of Music in recognition of outstanding collaborative achievement by a young pianist.

Initially reared in the rich singing tradition offered at All Saints' in Chevy Chase, Maryland, soloistic qualities were elaborated upon at home by virtue of a mother who was a concert pianist who also enjoyed singing with her five children clustered around the piano, and then put into full swing with private voice lessons at home once moved to Piedmont, California.

Continuing a rich singing life, Mary was continuously the youngest ever admitted to whatever established group it was she was singing in, and following a passion for madrigals, founded The Troubadours, which today annually remains a tradition with some talented Piedmont High School students, who indepedently hold auditions to keep the singing positions filled and going strong.

Having lived in London since 1996, she is now beginning to become better known as a serious contemporary composer, as recent performances ranging from the Royal Festival Hall to concerts in Estonia, will testify. Noriko has forthcoming performances at the BMIC with the group, Ixion, as well as a performance of her orchestral work, Prayer - Inori, at St John's Church, Waterloo, by the Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra.

On this site, you will find information about her major works, a short biography, and information about what to do if you are interested in performing any of her pieces or commissioning a work.

In addition to bringing out new facets of the traditional repertoire, Dr. Shpachenko enjoys applying her deep interpretation to new repertoire by performing and premiering music by contemporary composers. Her recent notable premieres include Michael Garson’s Homage to Ligeti at Carnegie Hall, a Piano Quartet by Ukrainian composer Yuri Ishchenko at the Ukrainian Institute of America, and the West Coast premiere of Elliott Carter’s Dialogues for Piano and Chamber Orchestra with the Nimbus Ensemble in Los Angeles. Dr. Shpachenko is also touring a series of lecture-recitals exploring the relations between modern art and modern music, including one on Unorthodox Use of Piano by 20th Century American Composers and one commissioned by the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC to accompany its Modigliani exhibit.

Born in Ukraine, Dr. Shpachenko completed her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees at the University of Southern California, where she was awarded the title of Outstanding Graduate. Her principal teachers have included such distinguished musicians as John Perry in Los Angeles, Victor Rosenbaum in Boston, and Victor Derevianko in Israel. She has won top prizes in numerous competitions, including the California International Young Artists Piano Competition, Wideman International Piano Competition, Grace Welsh International Prize for Piano, Corpus Christi International Piano Competition, National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition, MTNA Collegiate Piano Competition, and the USC Piano Concerto Competition. Dr. Shpachenko has performed at the International Holland Music Sessions, Aspen, Cliburn, Manchester, Orford, Sarasota, Music Academy of the West, Tel-Hai, and Saluzzo International Music Festivals. Her performances have been featured on many radio and television stations in California, Massachusetts, New York, Ukraine, the UK, and Italy and released on CDs in Europe and the U.S.

Recently called 'protean and refined' by the New York Times, Shteinberg recorded for the Israeli 'Voice of Music' radio station, WQXR, WHMT, the Bavarian Radio and the Yamaha Disklavier; collaborated with New York Philharmonic members and the cellists Han-Na Chang and Natalia Gutman. Besides solo and chamber music performances, Shteinberg frequently appears with concert-lectures; also plays harpsichord and period pianos. His interest in new music has led to world premieres and numerous commissions.

Dmitri Shteinberg is a prizewinner in twenty competitions worldwide, including the first prize in 'Citta de Senigallia' International Competition in Italy. In the United States, he won the Naomi Foundation Competition and the Artists International Debut Award, and received the Salon De Virtuosi Fellowship Grant.