- Biography
- Repertoire
- Discography
- The Beethoven Effect
- Reviews
- Itinerary
- Media
Praised by Fanfare for their “stirring performances of rare repertory,” the acclaimed piano team of Anna and Dmitri Shelest met as classmates at Ukraine’s prestigious Kharkiv Special Music School and began performing together after marrying in the United States.
Their inventive programs have taken them to major concert halls and international cultural and diplomatic events, prompting former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to praise their work as having “realized diplomacy through music.” The WholeNote described their playing as “raw pianism and as thrilling as four hand performance can get,” adding, “Be warned–it will knock you right off your seat!”
The Duo’s current season is highlighted by the opening concert of the Ukrainian Cultural Festival at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, featuring the American premiere of Oleg Bezborodko’s Concerto for Piano Four Hands & Orchestra; a recital as part of The Peggy Rockefeller Concert Series at Rockefeller University; and the release of their third album, including Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos with Neeme Järvi and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. Their other albums include Tutti, showcasing orchestral arrangements for piano four hands; Ukrainian Rhapsody, which marked their 2018 Carnegie Hall debut; and Donna Voce III, with works by Cécile Chaminade.
Anna also maintains an active solo career, while Dmitri has extensive experience as a recording engineer, having produced more than a dozen piano and orchestra recordings. Together, they have produced over 100 episodes for their YouTube channel, “Shelest at the Piano,” in which they explore a variety of repertoire, while sharing their passion for the piano.
Anna and Dmitri Shelest and their two sons make their home in New York City.
BEZBORODKO, Oleg
Steel, Violet, Rage - Concerto for Piano Four Hands & String Orchestra (2024)
MOZART
Concerto #10 in E-flat for 2 Pianos. K. 365
POULENC
Concerto for 2 Pianos
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“UKRAINIAN RHAPSODY” Lysenko: Suite on Ukrainian Themes, Op. 2 Sorel Classics: SC CD 011 |
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“TUTTI” - SHELEST PIANO DUO Smetana: The Moldau Sorel Classics: SC CD 002 |
The Beethoven Effect
A Piano Four-Hands Concert Commemorating the 200th Anniversary
of the Death of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Marking the bicentennial of Beethoven’s death, The Beethoven Effect explores the remarkable legacy of his music through the intimate, yet powerful, medium of piano four-hands. During the 19th Century, arrangements for piano duet were the primary way audiences experienced symphonic music outside of the concert hall. Through these transcriptions, as well as works by composers deeply influenced by Beethoven, this program traces how his rhythmic drive, dramatic contracts and expressive depth shaped the Romantic imagination. Heard at the keyboard, these orchestral masterworks reveal both their structural brilliance and their enduring impact on generations of composers.
2027 Anniversary Program
| Symphony No. 5 in c minor, Op. 67 I. Allegro con brio |
Ludwig van Beethoven arranged by Carl Czerny approx. 8 minutes |
| Ouverture caractéristique et brillante in b minor, Op. 54 | Carl Czerny (1791-1857) arranged by the composer approx. 7 minutes |
| Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 (“Pastoral”) IV. Thunderstorm |
Ludwig van Beethoven arranged by Xaver Scharwenka, 1850-1924 approx 13 minutes |
| Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) arranged by the composer approx. 5 minutes |
| Symphony No. 9 in d minor, Op. 125 (“Choral”) II. Molto vivace (Scherzo) |
Ludwig van Beethoven arranged by Xaver Scharwenka approx. 9 minutes |
| ------------Intermission------------ | |
| Symphony No. 2 in c minor (“Resurrection”) II. Andante moderato |
Gustav Mahler arranged by Bruno Walter, 1876-1962 approx. 13 minutes |
| Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92 II. Allegretto |
Ludwig van Beethoven arranged by Xaver Scharwenka approx. 8 minutes |
| Les Préludes | Franz Liszt (1811-1886) arranged by the composer approx. 14 minutes |
As the final work on the program, both Anna and her husband Dmitri Shelest- known through recordings and concerts as the Shelest Piano Duo - returned to the stage to join the orchestra in Concerto for Piano Four Hands and String Orchestra by Ukrainian composer Oleg Bezborodko. It was a US Premiere, and the composer was present to take a bow afterwards. Mr. Bezborodko has written one of the rare concerti pairing four-hand piano with string orchestra, and it has a storied past already. The prmiere in Kyiv, scheduled for September of 2025, was prevented by an air raid alert sending the already-present audience to a shelter for several hours. Three months later, the Kyiv Piano Duo and Kyiv Camerata finally gave its premiere, December 2, 2025. Now ten months later (and with one afternoon’s orchestra rehearsal), the Shelest duo would blow their Carnegie audience away with it. The Shelest Duo seems to have been made for the piece - its challenges and its extremes, They played with perfect synchronization and even seemingly that special telepathy that married couples can have. They handled with ease the awkward extended techniques - including sweeping, plucking, and percussive effects inside the piano by one player, who had to stand while encircled by the arms of the other who needed to reach both extremes of the keyboard at once. Lest it seem as if it were all yet another exercise in the noise of extended techniques, it should be noted that the sounds produced through it all were unique, and in service to the work’s themes.
NEW YORK CONCERT REVIEW
An enthusiastic full house in South Windsor [CT] was treated to a captivating debut appearance by acclaimed Ukrainian-born pianists Anna and Dmitri Shelest. The power of their combined sound in climaxes had an almost orchestral sonority. The charismatic stage presence of both performers was apparent not only in their carefully balanced playing but in the personal engagement with which they alternately introduced each musical selection, highlighting how profoundly both their home (the US) and homeland (Ukraine) have shaped the duo's artistry.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
A new piano duo on the scene is the Ukrainian-born, and now New York-based couple, Anna and Dmitri Shelest. Shelest Piano Duo have released their first recording, TUTTI, with substantial standard repertoire items. Among the disc’s highlights are Liszt’s own arrangement of his Les Préludes played with consistent brilliance and sensitivity through to its magnificent conclusion. Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony Allegro is an impressive display of melody and countermelody beautifully balanced and phrased. [In Ravel’s La Valse], the Shelests capture the chaos and complexity familiar in the orchestral version and bring it to a stunning finish.
THE WHOLE NOTE MAGAZINE
Anna and Dmitri Shelest make a welcome return to this column with their latest recording, Ukrainian Rhapsody. As a piano duo they occupy less than half the disc, giving the majority of the program to Anna alone for some rarely heard works by Ukrainian composers. This is raw pianism and as thrilling as four hands performance can get. Be warned - it will knock you right off your seat!
THE WHOLE NOTE MAGAZINE
| 7/11/2026 (7:30pm) | ADIRONDACK LAKES CENTER FOR THE ARTS (Blue Mountain Lake, NY) Bernstein/Harmon: Candide (overture) |
| 9/4/2026 (7pm) | SHERIDAN COLLEGE (WY) Kinnison Hall, Whitney Center for the Arts Bernstein/Harmon: Candide (overture) |
| 9/14/2026 (3pm) | EVERGREEN WOODS (North Branford, CT) Bernstein/Harmon: Candide (overture) |
| 10/18/2026 (1pm) | BRANDYWINE VALLEY SYMPHONY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Michael Hall, conductor Silvestrov: The Messenger for Piano & Strings (solo piano) |
| 11/1/2026 (5pm) | CONCERT FOR “HELPING HANDS FOR UKRAINE” CHARITY Forte Piano Music Company (Paramus, NJ) Bernstein/Harmon: Candide (overture) |
| 11/15/2026 (3pm) | FRIENDS OF MUSIC OF STAMFORD, NY First Presbyterian Church of Stamford Bernstein/Harmon: Candide (overture) |
| 1/8/2027 (7pm) | THE CONCERT SERIES AT CORNWALL MANOR (Lebanon, PA) Freeman Auditorium, Freeman Community Center |
| 1/14/2027 (7:30pm) | THE PEGGY ROCKEFELLER CONCERT SERIES Caspary Auditorium, The Rockefeller University (NYC) |
| 3/21/2027 (3pm) | CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE (Philadelphia, PA) East Parlor Bernstein/Harmon: Candide (overture) |
| 4/8/2027 (7pm) | LOUISIANA TECH CONCERT ASSOCIATION (Ruston) Howard Auditorium |
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Bernstein/Harmon: Candide (overture) |
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Gottschalk/D. Shelest: The Union |
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Copland/Lerner: Variations on a Shaker Melody |
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Poulenc: Concerto for 2 Pianos & Orchestra (mvt. III: Allegro molto) |
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Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue |
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Arensky: Polichinelle |
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Liszt: Les Préludes |