Previous events

“This project has grown into a multi-year commissioning initiative involving 76 composers from across generations and backgrounds, each reimagining America the Beautiful for solo piano. The works explore themes of identity, migration, diversity, and belonging, and together they form a kind of living anthology of American stories and ideals. With America’s 250th anniversary approaching in 2026, I am working to expand the project’s performances and presentations to include future generation of pianists, and thrilled to share this program with the community at Cal Poly Pomona.” -Min Kwon

The Fryderyk Chopin Society of Connecticut presents

Unbreakable Spirit: Music of Resilience

GRAMMY® Award-winning Ukrainian-American pianist Nadia Shpachenko will perform beloved works by Frédéric Chopin paired with Chopin-inspired pieces by Ukrainian composers. The program will also include Connecticut premieres of new compositions by Ludmila Yurina and Ethan Gans-Morse about the war in Ukraine.

GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist Nadia Shpachenko and the Cal Poly Pomona Piano Ensemble will perform an eclectic and moving program of works for multiple pianos, toy pianos, percussion, voice, guitar, trumpet, cello, and other instruments. They will perform compositions by J. S. Bach, Tom Flaherty, Aram Khachaturian, Mykola Lysenko, Michael Roth, and two West Coast Premieres by Ukrainian composers Zoltan Almashi and Catherine Likhuta.

Music from Ukraine and Poland

Amherst College Music Department presents

Unbreakable Spirit: Music of Resilience

GRAMMY® Award-winning Ukrainian American pianist Nadia Shpachenko performs beloved works by Frédéric Chopin paired with Chopin-inspired pieces by Ukrainian composers. The program includes the Massachusetts premieres of new compositions by Ludmila Yurina and Ethan Gans-Morse about the war in Ukraine. 

Composer, clarinetist, bass clarinetist, conductor, teacher and writer Jonathan Russell joins Shpachenko in Russell’s Still Here for clarinet and piano commissioned by a consortium of 52 clarinetists, inspired by the resilience of the Ukrainian people during the current Russian invasion.

Rutgers PianoFest presents

Unbreakable Spirit: Music of Resilience

GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist Nadia Shpachenko will perform music about the war in Ukraine, Nadia’s home country. This festival celebrates the legendary pianist and teacher John Perry on his 90th Birthday, opening with a recital by John Perry on Feb. 13.

UNC Chapel Hill Music Department presents

Unbreakable Spirit: Music of Resilience

GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist Nadia Shpachenko will perform beloved works by Frédéric Chopin paired with Chopin-inspired pieces by Ukrainian composers. The program will also include East Coast premieres of new compositions by Ludmila Yurina and Ethan Gans-Morse about the war in Ukraine, Nadia’s home country.

Music at the Institute presents

Rediscovering Thomas “Foma” de Hartmann

The work of Ukrainian-born composer, Thomas “Foma” de Hartmann, spans classical, folk, and avant-garde styles, making him a key figure in both Ukrainian music history and the broader 20th-century classical tradition. His early music reflects Romantic influences, while his later works incorporate Impressionist elements and diverse styles, including Eastern melodies, as seen in his notable symphonies and concerti. De Hartmann’s compositions ultimately reflect his quest for meaning, engaging listeners with their depth and variety.

Palomar College Performing Arts Department • Concert Hour Series presents

Unbreakable Spirit: Music of Resilience

GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist Nadia Shpachenko will perform beloved works by Frédéric Chopin paired with Chopin-inspired pieces by Ukrainian composers. The program will also include new compositions by Ludmila Yurina and Ethan Gans-Morse about the war in Ukraine, Nadia’s home country.