Acclaimed pianists Anna Shelest and Dimitri Shelest met at the Kharkiv Special Music School in Ukraine when they were 12 years old. They fell in love after they both moved to the U.S. and found common ground. They have been making musical history in this country since 2000.
Tuesday the acclaimed husband and wife duo—known professionally as the Shelest Piano Duo—will bring their memorable creative collaboration to Nantucket, providing what Fanfare Magazine describes as “stirring performances of a rare repertory” to local music lovers.
The couple will take center stage at 7 pm this Tuesday at First Congregational Church, 62 Centre Street, in the Nantucket Musical Arts Society’s fourth concert of its 2022 summer season.
“Anna and Dimitri are gifted musicians who will add their unique perspectives to this already memorable season,” said Eva-Maria Tausig, Nantucket Musical Arts Society President. “They are highly skilled at playing duets with one piano, four hands.”
At their official Carnegie Hall debut in February 2018, the Shelest Piano Duo’s CD release of Ukrainian Rhapsody brought renewed attention to the music of their homeland and introduced them to a broad array of new performance opportunities, from concert stages to formal state functions. In the words of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the pair has quickly “realized diplomacy through music.” Since then, the CD has been a featured album on many radio stations nationwide; it has gained additional international prominence since the recent attack on Ukraine by Russia.
NMAS will sponsor its informal and free “Meet the Artist” event featuring Anna and Dimitri Shelest at 5 pm this Monday in the Atheneum, 1 India Street. A conversation with the pair will feature a discussion of their musical careers and plans for the future.
Tickets for the Shelest Duo’s Tuesday concert are available at the concert for $30, when doors open at 6:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church. Tickets may also be purchased in advance at the Antiques Depot, 2 South Beach St., and the Nantucket Community Music Center, 56 Centre St.
The final two performances in the 2022 summer concert season will feature the Balourdet String Quartet on August 9; and violinist Itamar Zorman with pianist Adam Golka on August 16.
For details on concerts and artists, or to learn more about the Nantucket Musical Arts Society, call 508-228-1287 or visit nantucketmusicalartssociety.org.
The Nantucket Musical Arts Society (NMAS) is a nonprofit formed in 1959 to enrich the musical climate of Nantucket Island and has been presenting worldclass artists to the residents of Nantucket since. The Society also champions emerging artists, the stars of tomorrow, as well as contemporary composers. Donations to support the society may be made to Nantucket Musical Arts Society, Box 897, Nantucket, MA 02554.
