Shelest Piano Duo
Praised for their “stirring performances of rare repertory” (Fanfare Magazine), Shelest Piano Duo is a husband-and-wife team of ANNA AND DMITRI SHELEST, both born in Ukraine. Their Carnegie Hall debut in February 2018, presented in collaboration with the Alexander & Buono Foundation, coincided with their CD release of Ukrainian Rhapsody, which brought international attention to the music of their homeland. The Duo, who met as classmates in middle school, began performing together after their marriage in the United States, and their inventive programs led them to appearances in a broad array of venues, from concert stages to state functions, one of which prompted Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon to comment that they had “realized diplomacy through music.”
Hailed by The New York Times as a pianist of “a fiery sensibility and warm touch,” Anna Shelest is an international award-winning musician who has thrilled audiences throughout the world.
Having made her orchestral debut at the age of twelve with the Kharkiv Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1, she appeared with a number of orchestras, among them Cincinnati Symphony, Montreal Symphony and Estonian National Symphony.
As a soloist, she has been heard at Alice Tully Hall and Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall in New York City, The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna, and Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
Born in Ukraine, Ms. Shelest received her early music education at Kharkiv Special Music School. After receiving
her Bachelor of Music degree at Northern Kentucky University, she graduated from The Juilliard School with a master’s degree.
Today, Anna and Dmitri Shelest make their home in New York City with their two sons, Ivan and Alexey.
Dmitri Shelest started studying
piano at the age of six in Ukraine, and soon enrolled in the Kharkiv Special Music School, succeeding at his first contest when he was eleven years old. It was also piano that brought him to the United States following the award of a full scholarship to Northern Kentucky University as a Bachelor’s degree candidate in Piano Performance.
While at NKU, Mr. Shelest won top prizes in various international piano competitions and participated in music festivals. After graduating in 2005, he pursued a post- baccalaureate degree in Entrepreneurship. Since relocating with his family to New York, he has been active as a both a chamber musician and record producer.
In their latest episode, now available on all streaming platforms and YouTube, The Piano Pod brings together pianists Anna and Dmitri Shelest of the Shelest Piano Duo and Maestro Michael Hall, Artistic Director of the Brandywine Valley Symphony, for a conversation about collaboration, Ukrainian music, and what music can preserve when words fall short.
This episode explores:
The story behind their October 18 performance at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall
The concert’s role in opening Razom for Ukraine’s fourth annual Ukrainian Cultural Festival in New York City
The U.S. premiere of Ukrainian composer Oleh Bezborodko’s Steel, Violet, Rage and the ideas and emotions behind the work
The artistic and technical demands of performing a concerto for piano four hands and orchestra
How works by Valentyn Silvestrov, Philip Glass, Samuel Barber, and Bezborodko come together to create a larger musical narrative
What music can preserve, express, and communicate about identity, memory, and war in ways news and politics often cannot
What Anna, Dmitri, and Maestro Hall hope audiences will carry with them long after the final note
Shelest Piano Duo on
The Piano Pod Podcast
About The Piano Pod: The Piano Pod is an award- winning international podcast and media platform founded by Yukimi Song, Pianist, entrepreneur, award-winning educator, and writer. Reaching listeners in more than 80 countries, it has garnered thousands of downloads and a growing global subscriber base across audio and video channels. Beyond digital reach, the platform has meaningful real-world impact through live events, artist engagement, and community building—including its successful live show last October. The show features conversations with Grammy winners, Steinway Artists, notable composers, world-class pedagogues, arts leaders, and cultural voices shaping the future of classical music. This season celebrates creativity and connection—exploring how tradition, innovation, identity, and entrepreneurship are bringing new energy to the modern classical music landscape. https://thepianopod.com