Described by critics as a "truly inspiring and brilliant pianist...spellbinding in sensitivity and mastery of technique," Dr. Nadia Shpachenko is an active soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. She has performed extensively in solo recitals and with orchestras in North America and Europe in venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Château de Modave in Belgium, Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Most recently she toured Mexico with Orquesta de Baja California, and performed with the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra in Ukraine and the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra in California.

In addition to bringing out new facets of the traditional repertoire, Dr. Shpachenko enjoys applying her deep interpretation to new repertoire by performing and premiering music by contemporary composers. Her recent notable premieres include the World premiere of Ukrainian composer Yury Ishchenko's Piano Concerto No. 2 at the 17th International Contemporary Music Festival "Kiev Music Fest 2006" at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine's Hall of Columns, Michael Garson’s Homage to Ligeti at Carnegie Hall, Yuri Ishchenko's Piano Quartet No. 2 at the Ukrainian Institute of America, and the West Coast premiere of Elliott Carter’s Dialogues for Piano and Chamber Orchestra with the Nimbus Ensemble in Los Angeles. Dr. Shpachenko is also touring a series of lecture-recitals exploring the relations between modern art and modern music, including one on Unorthodox Use of Piano by 20th Century American Composers and one commissioned by the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC to accompany its Modigliani exhibit.

Born in Ukraine, Dr. Shpachenko completed her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees at the University of Southern California, where she was awarded the title of Outstanding Graduate. Her principal teachers have included such distinguished musicians as John Perry in Los Angeles, Victor Rosenbaum in Boston, and Victor Derevianko in Israel. She has won top prizes in numerous competitions, including the California International Young Artists Piano Competition, Wideman International Piano Competition, Grace Welsh International Prize for Piano, Corpus Christi International Piano Competition, National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition, MTNA Collegiate Piano Competition, and the USC Piano Concerto Competition. Dr. Shpachenko has performed at the International Holland Music Sessions, Aspen, Cliburn, Manchester, Orford, Sarasota, Music Academy of the West, Tel-Hai, and Saluzzo International Music Festivals. Her performances have been featured on many radio and television stations in California, Massachusetts, New York, Ukraine, the UK, and Italy and released on CDs in Europe and the U.S.

In 2006, Dr. Shpachenko joined the faculty of the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona as an Assistant Professor of Music. In addition, she has recently served as visiting faculty at Pomona College, guest lecturer at the California Institute of the Arts, and Artist in Residence at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

This is Nadia Shpachenko’s third appearance with the Imperial Valley Symphony. She previously soloed with the orchestra on October 22, 2000, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, and on October 24, 2002, performing Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto.