Edmonton pianist Sylvia Shadick excels as a soloist, yet is equally comfortable as a chamber musician, collaborative pianist, teacher and clinician. She has been heard in concert in Canada, Thailand, Germany, France, Japan and at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City.

Sylvia has a strong interest in contemporary music and has premiered many Canadian and American works. Due to her promotion of Canadian music, she was named an Ambassador of the Canadian Music Centre in 2009. Through her virtuosic pianism and interpretive skills, Sylvia’s performances are known to transform music into captivating storytelling.

Classical pianist Sylvia Shadick is known for her diverse talents. As both a soloist and chamber musician, her emotionally-charged performances have been enjoyed throughout Canada and the US, including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, as well as in concerts in Europe and Asia. As a teacher, she has an active studio with many of her students receiving special recognition in music festivals and examinations. Her love of teaching also carries into frequent work as a clinician and adjudicator throughout Canada. Ms. Shadick is also in demand as a collaborative pianist where she adeptly spans opera classics to demanding contemporary concert repertoire. Through her virtuosic pianism and interpretive skills, Sylvia’s performances are known to transform music into captivating storytelling. Broadcasts of her performances have been heard on CBC and CKUA Radio. 

Sylvia’s main musical passion is the exploration and promotion of works by Canadian composers. This passion was recognized by the Canadian Music Centre honouring her with the title, Ambassador of Canadian Music, in 2009. Sylvia’s fifth CD, Expressions, was nominated for the Edmonton Music Prize in 2015 and is a sampling of works by composers associated with New Music Edmonton. Her subsequent CD, Piano NorthWest features music of the Winnipeg composer William Pura and was released on the prestigious CentreDiscs Label in 2015. Through recordings and concerts, Sylvia hopes to bring wider attention to the rich creative skills of Canadian composers. Canadian composer, Sid Robinovich, hailed her premiere performance at the 2010 Winnipeg New Music Festival as “The performance of a lifetime!”

Over the past four decades, Sylvia has built a respected name in the Edmonton classical music scene. She has worked for the University of Alberta, Edmonton Opera, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Pro Coro Canada, Edmonton Winds, the Cosmopolitan Music Society and is Past Chair of the Contemporary Showcase Edmonton Society. Summing up Sylvia’s contribution to Edmonton, John Charles of the Edmonton Sun said, “pianists … such as Sylvia Shadick … who shine and inspire, especially in contemporary music … help make Edmonton a city of cultural champions."

Pianist Sylvia Shadick is one of Canada’s dedicated champions of new music, both as a superb soloist and chamber musician. While her experience and accomplishments are diverse and substantial, the important connecting thread is her passion for finding the context in the music. She intently studies the composer’s ideas and inspirations for the true expressive nature of the music to be realized. Along with virtuosic pianism, it is the subtleties of time, timbre and melodic emphasis that transform a fine performance into a captivating story. Sylvia is then, above all else, a brilliant storyteller.

Premiering many Canadian and American works, Sylvia has performed across Canada and the US, including her highly successful New York concert debut in 1997. In 2009 the Canadian Music Centre named fifty Canadian musicians as “Ambassadors” of Canadian music and Sylvia was the sole Edmonton artist to receive this prestigious honour. To preserve and promote Canadian music further, she has become a well-known recording artist with six previous feature CDs. The two most recent of these, Expressions, nominated for the 2015 Edmonton Music Prize, is a sampling of works by composers associated with New Music Edmonton, and Piano NorthWest, released on the prestigious CentreDiscs Label featuring music of the Winnipeg composer, William Pura. Her other CDs are Caprice; Intimate Impressions: Piano Music of Federico Mompou (winner of Alberta Recording Industry Award for Best Classical Music CD, 2000); At Your Service; and Prairie Scenes (with trumpeter Russell Whitehead).  She can also be heard on the CDs Collaborations and soundland alberta. All but one of these CDs includes Canadian music! Canadian composer, Sid Robinovich, hailed her premiere performance at the 2010 Winnipeg New Music Festival as “The performance of a lifetime!”

Sylvia is truly immersed in the Canadian classical music scene. At home she has been involved with the University of Alberta, Edmonton Opera Association, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Pro Coro Canada, Edmonton Winds and the Cosmopolitan Music Society, and she has performed as soloist with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Winspear Chamber Orchestra and Orchestra Borealis. Contributing not only through her considerable performance capabilities, commitments have also included involvement as a voting member of New Music Edmonton, the Canadian Music Centre and Past Chair of Contemporary Showcase Edmonton. Known as a dedicated and dynamic teacher, adjudicator and clinician, she has lectured at the University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon), the Concordia University College (Edmonton), Augustana University, (Camrose), and for the Alberta Registered Music Teachers Association in Edmonton and Lloydminster.  

Sylvia received her Bachelor of Music, cum laude, from the University of Alberta studying with Alexandra Munn. In her early years in Saskatchewan, she was mentored by Sheila Shinkewski, and later she undertook intensive study with Thomas Muraco in New York City. Other teachers who strongly influenced her musicianship and pianism were Menaheim Pressler, Edith Oppens and Carlo Zecchi while studying at summer schools in Banff, Aspen and the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Complementing her fine soloistic skills, Ms. Shadick performs regularly as a chamber musician and collaborative pianist. Performances include concerts in Canada, Thailand, Germany, France, Japan and U.S.A., including Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City with Hungarian/Canadian violinist, Nándor Szederkényi (1998), and more recently with Canadian cellist, Tanya Prochazka (2011). As a chamber musician she has performed with such ensembles as the Violet Collective, SPECTRUM, the Clarion Trio and Ivory Winds. A popular collaborator, she adeptly spans opera classics to demanding contemporary repertoire. Her performances are often heard on CBC Radio and CKUA radio.

Summing up Sylvia’s contributions, John Charles of the Edmonton Sun wrote, “… pianists … such as Sylvia Shadick … who shine and inspire, especially in contemporary music … help make Edmonton a city of cultural champions.”

To whom this may concern:

As the music producer responsible for Edmonton's contributions to the CBC's regional and network music programs, I have had opportunity to work with Sylvia Shadick over more than ten years. I have experienced Sylvia in a variety of different roles as solo performer, chamber musician and accompanist. On all occasions I have appreciated Sylvia's technical excellence and musical sensitivity and intelligence. As a soloist she is capable of a very brilliant and compelling performance; in performing with others she is intuitive and sensitive. She also presents her performances in an engaging way to her live audience.

I will never hesitate to engage Sylvia for the CBC's broadcasting purposes.

Sincerely,
Jochen Eggert
Producer — Radio Music
CBC Edmonton

The Bonnyville & District Fine Arts Society
A Touch of Class Performance Series
Box 5086
Bonnyville, AB  T9N 2G3

Dear Sir or Madam:

It is my great pleasure to heartily recommend Ms. Sylvia Shadick, who has been a regular performer in our community series concerts over the past several years.

Ms. Shadick has brought to our stage her stellar skills as an accompaniest with several performers who have electrified our audiences; their success being at least partially attributable to her magnificent piano skills. She has twice performed here with the soprano Iren Bartok and once with violinist Nandor Szederkenyi.

Always a pleasure to work with, Ms. Shadick is highly regarded by all those involved in the production of concerts in our community. Her good humour and flexibility are exemplary. She is more than willing to extend herself above and beyond the mere performance itself by helping to facilitate the booking, promoting and logistical arrangements for the performances with which she is involved.

Without reserve, professionally and personally, I can vouch for the talent, committment and sterling personal qualities of Ms. Sylvia Shadick.

Sincerely,

Mr. Ian Perry
Coordinator A Touch of Class Performance Series
The Bonnyville & District Fine Arts Society