Steven Isserlis, cello
Connie Shih, piano
Location: Shriver Hall
Internationally renowned British cellist, Steven Isserlis CBE, praised for leaving listeners “in perpetual wonder at the ingredients in his art” (The Australian), performs a program suited to his brilliance and versatility. From the playful charm and innovation of Beethoven to Soviet composer Kabalevsky’s personal emotion to Czech trailblazer Kaprálová’s explosiveness, Isserlis embarks on a captivating journey for all who cherish cello and piano.
"Few cellists can mold a line with such attention to both light and shade…for a performance that distills the sweetness at the music's heart" —The Telegraph
About the sponsor
The Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Concert was established in 1978 by Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Drachman and Dr. and Mrs. Joram Piatigorsky. The concerts present a mix of internationally renowned cellists as well as those with promising solo careers. Gregor Piatigorsky dedicated a large part of his life to teaching and encouraging talented young musicians. His heart's desire was to open the way to successful careers for them. Piatigorsky exemplified extraordinary virtuosity as well as high musical and personal ideals. It is the endowers' intention that cellists who possess likeminded goals and accomplishments will be given an opportunity to perform through these concerts.
Steven Isserlis
British cellist Steven Isserlis CBE enjoys an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, author, educator, and broadcaster. Equally at home in music from baroque to the present day, he performs with the world’s greatest orchestras, including period ensembles, and has given many world premieres, including Sir John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil, Thomas Adès’s Lieux retrouvés, four works for solo cello by György Kurtág, and pieces by Heinz Holliger, Jörg Widmann, Olli Mustonen, Mikhail Pletnev and many others.
His vast award-winning discography includes most of the cello repertoire, including the JS Bach suites (Gramophone Instrumental Album of the Year), Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano, and the Brahms double concerto with Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. He has received two Grammy nominations, for his recordings of Haydn’s cello concertos, and Martinů’s cello sonatas with Olli Mustonen. Premiere recordings include late works by Sir John Tavener (BBC Music magazine Premiere Award). His latest recordings, Mendelssohn Piano Trios with Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk, and Boccherini Cello Concertos, Sonatas & Quintets, were released in 2024.
As an author, his latest book is a critically-acclaimed companion to the Bach cello suites, while his two books for children about music are among the genre’s most popular ever written and have been translated into many languages. He has also authored a commentary on Schumann’s famous Advice for Young Musicians. As a broadcaster, he has written and presented two in-depth documentaries for BBC Radio, on Robert Schumann and Harpo Marx.
An insightful musical explorer and curator, he has programmed imaginative series for London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s 92ndSt Y, and the Salzburg Festival. Unusually, he also directs orchestras from the cello, including Luzerner Sinfonieorchester in 2019 with Radu Lupu in his final public performance.
He was awarded a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998, in recognition of his services to music. International recognition includes the Piatigorsky Prize (USA) and the Glashütte Original Music Festival Award (Germany).Since 1997, he has been Artistic Director of the International Musicians Seminar, Prussia Cove, Cornwall.
He plays the 1726 ‘Marquis de Corberon’ Stradivarius, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music. His website is stevenisserlis.com.
“The music world— and music itself—is infinitely richer for the presence of Steven Isserlis.” —Gramophone Magazine
Connie Shih
The Canadian pianist, Connie Shih, is repeatedly considered to be one of Canada’s most outstanding artists. In 1993 she was awarded the Sylva Gelber Award for most outstanding classical artist under age 30. At the age of nine, she made her orchestral debut with Mendelssohn’s first Piano Concerto with the Seattle Symphony. At the age of 12, she was the youngest ever protégé of György Sebők, and then continued her studies at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia with Claude Frank, himself a protégé of Arthur Schnabel. Later studies were undertaken with Fou Tsong in Europe.
As soloist, she has appeared extensively with orchestras throughout Canada, U.S., and Europe. In a solo recital setting, she has made countless appearances in Canada, U.S., Iceland, England, Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan and China. Connie has given chamber music performances with many world-renowned musicians. To critical acclaim, she appears regularly in concert with her duo partner, cellist Steven Isserlis worldwide. Including chamber music appearances at Wigmore and Carnegie halls, she performs at the prestigious Bath Music Festival, Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Weill Hall (N.Y.), Verbier, Luzern and at the Kronberg Festival. Her collaborations have included Sir Simon Keenlyside, Joshua Bell, Maxim Vengerov, Tabea Zimmerman, Manuel Fischer-Dieskau and Isabelle Faust.
In 2021 Connie toured Asia, America, Europe, and Australia with Steven Isserlis. With the cellist Manuel Fischer-Dieskau, she recorded the first-ever CD of the sonatas for piano and cello by Carl Reinecke and the complete Beethoven sonatas. In 2017 she released her first of her two CDs with Steven Isserlis on the BIS label, while this year will see the release of their first CD collaboration on Hyperion.
Connie’s performances are frequently broadcast via television and radio on CBC (Canada), BBC (U.K.), SWR, NDR, and WDR (Germany) as well as on other various television and radio stations in North America, Asia and Europe.
Connie was adjunct faculty at the Hochschule für Musik Mainz and presently at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg. In addition she has given masterclasses at renowned music institutions and was on the faculty at the Casalmaggiore International Festival in Italy.
“I do not know of a greater pianistic talent than Connie Shih. Her stupendous technique, musicality, and deep musical understanding place her in a class by itself.” —Josef Gingold
