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Acclaimed pianist to play at UNC Sunday

Shpachenko, Nadia
Shpachenko, Nadia-Dr. Nadia Shpachenko-Gottesman is associate professor of music at Cal Poly Pomona. May 22, 2014.

Associate professor of piano studies at Cal Poly Pomona University, Shpachenko-Gottesman is touring the country to promote her new CD, entitled “Woman at the New Piano: American Music of 2013.”

“I think you get lost in what’s happening when Nadia sits down on the piano,” said Iris Levine, chairwoman of the music department at Cal Poly Pomona’s music program.

Shpachenko-Gottesman, who has given solo recitals at Carnegie Hall and performed around the world with Orquesta de Baja California, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra, said her performance will include both old and new pieces.

“Audience members will have a chance to enjoy familiar works and also to discover new and unusual ideas and sounds,” she said. “In addition to piano-only compositions, people will see me play drums and performing with a toy piano and electronics soundtrack.”

Along with the modern pieces, Shpachenko-Gottesman will also play pieces by noted composers, Sergei Prokofiev and Alexander Scriabin.

“This CD features a highly recognized group of composers, who I have been fortunate to work extensively with,” she said.

Shpachenko-Gottesman described her recent performances and CD as the most significant musical endeavors she has undertaken to date. She has worked on the project for the past two years, and the record promises to bring forth an exciting presentation of a decade of her prolific work.

“This project is the ultimate reflection of my experience as a versatile and adventurous new music performer and my passion for commissioning and promoting exciting works by living American composers,” she said.

Sophomore Hannah Lohr-Pearson, a student in the music department, said she thinks it’s important to bring guest artists to campus.

“So many people are forgetting the value that the arts have in our society, and I think performances like these show how important they are,” Lohr-Pearson said.

She also said she thinks that such performers give hope to aspiring artists and musicians.

“I think that music is such an increasingly competitive field. Just being able to see people who have been successful is very motivational and inspirational.”

arts@dailytarheel.com

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