Shlomi Shahaf (violin) & Phoebe Papandrea (piano)

Young violinist Shlomi Shahaf performed at the 2024 BBC Young Musician competition, where he was the only violinist to reach the grand final, winning the prize for Best Performance in both the quarter and semi-finals. He played the Franck violin sonata during the competition, so we are very pleased that he has included it in his programme for us.

Born in December 2006, Shlomi began studying both the violin and piano at the age of 4. His musical journey started at Kiev’s Lysenko Specialized Music School. From 2019 to 2022 he continued his studies at the Central Music School of Tchaikovsky in Moscow.

Shlomi has also participated in masterclasses with world-renowned musicians such as Shlomo Mintz, Hagai Shaham, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, and Itzhak Roshkovsky. His performance experience is equally impressive - he has played with leading symphony orchestras in Ukraine, as well as BBC Wales Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra, among others. Shlomi has also claimed several top prizes at international competitions held in Poland (Warsaw), the UK (London, Eastbourne), Romania (Bucharest), and Moldova (Chisinau).

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Shlomi relocated to London, where he currently studies at the Purcell School. He has performed at prestigious venues including the Southbank Centre, St James Piccadilly (London), Millennium Centre (Cardiff) and Musikverein (Vienna).

British-Italian pianist Phoebe Papandrea was born in London in 2007 and began studying piano at the age of three. Her early musical development quickly led to public performances, including an appearance at London's Royal Festival Hall at the age of four, marking the beginning of a performing career that has taken her to major venues worldwide. She has appeared in venues including Carnegie Hall New York, Wigmore Hall, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Barbican Centre, performing in festivals and concert series across Europe, the United States, and Asia. As a soloist she has collaborated with orchestras and conductors in repertoire ranging from Beethoven and Chopin to Grieg and Rachmaninov. She has won First Prize in numerous international piano competitions.

The concert will be preceded at 6.30 by a free talk by Orlando Pearson - "Brahms from the slums to the stars"