Long Bio

GRAMMY® Award-winning Ukrainian-American pianist Nadia Shpachenko enjoys bringing into the world things that are outside the box—powerful pieces that often possess unusual sonic qualities or instrumentation. Described as a “gifted and versatile pianist” (San Francisco Chronicle), “one of today’s foremost promoters of contemporary music” (Textura Magazine), and “a great friend and champion of new music” (Fanfare Magazine), Nadia performed recitals at Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, on the Piano Spheres and Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella and Chamber Music Series, and with orchestras in Europe and the Americas. She premiered more than 100 works by Zoltan Almashi, Armando Bayolo, Elliott Carter, Christopher Cerrone, Paul Chihara, George Crumb, Ian Dicke, Daniel Felsenfeld, Tom Flaherty, Annie Gosfield, Yuri Ishchenko, Vera Ivanova, Dana Kaufman, Leon Kirchner, Amy Beth Kirsten, Han Lash, James Matheson, Missy Mazzoli, Harold Meltzer, Evgeni Orkin, David Sanford, Isaac Schankler, Alexander Shchetynsky, Adam Schoenberg, Lewis Spratlan, Evan Ware, Gernot Wolfgang, Iannis Xenakis, Peter Yates, Pamela Z, Jack Van Zandt, and many others.

Described as “powerful… impressive… haunting” (Gramophone) and “the outstanding contemporary-music disc of the year” (Fanfare Magazine), Nadia’s new Reference Recordings album Invasion: Music and Art for Ukraine was released on September 23, 2022. Invasion album features world premiere recordings of solo and chamber music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lewis Spratlan, recorded with Anthony Parnther, conductor, Pat Posey, saxophone, Aija Mattson-Jovel, horn, Phil Keen, trombone; Yuri Inoo, percussion, and Joti Rockwell, mandolin, as well as artworks by Ukrainian artists. 100% of proceeds from Invasion CD are donated to Ukraine humanitarian aid charities. On February 23, 2024 Nadia released Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s Postludium No. 3 with cellist Matt Haimovitz on PENTATONE to commemorate the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Nadia’s new Reference Recordings soccer-inspired album The Beautiful Game will be released in 2025. Described as “superb… evocative… pure magic” (I Care If You Listen), Nadia’s 2019 Reference Recordings CD The Poetry of Places features premieres of solo and collaborative works (performed with LA Phil pianist Joanne Pearce Martin and LAPQ percussionists Nick Terry and Cory Hills) inspired by diverse buildings. The Poetry of Places album won the 62nd Best Classical Compendium GRAMMY® Award. “Sure to remain a mainstay of the contemporary discography for posterity” (New Classic LA), Nadia’s 2018 Reference Recordings CD Quotations and Homages features premieres of solo and collaborative works for 6 pianists (performed with Ray-Kallay Duo, HOCKET and Genevieve Feiwen Lee) inspired by a variety of earlier composers and pieces. Nadia’s Reference Recordings CD Woman at the New Piano: American Music of 2013 was nominated for 58th GRAMMY Awards® in 3 categories. She is also featured on José Serebrier’s 2021 Reference Recordings album Last Tango Before Sunrise, Wouter Kellerman’s 2021 South African Music Award winning album We’ve Known All Times, Isaac Schankler’s 2019 Aerocade Music album Because Patterns, Gernot Wolfgang’s 2019 Albany Records album Vienna and the West, and Genevieve Vincent’s 2018 Mano Walker EP Petit Rêve. Nadia’s recording projects are supported by grants from The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, The Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, and New Music USA, among others.

Nadia Shpachenko is Professor of Music at Cal Poly Pomona University, where she leads the Piano Performance program and was awarded the 2017 Provost’s Award for Excellence in Scholarly and Creative Activities. Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Nadia completed her DMA and MM degrees at the University of Southern California, where she was awarded the title of Outstanding Graduate. Her principal teachers included John Perry, Victor Rosenbaum, and Victor Derevianko. Nadia Shpachenko is a Steinway Artist and a Schoenhut Toy Piano Artist.