Cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Connie Shih to perform Feb. 19 at MACC’s Castle Theater

Cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Connie Shih will perform in a joint concert at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 19 in the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s Castle Theater.

Tickets go on sale online only starting at 10 a.m. this Tuesday.

Isserlis appears regularly with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra Washington and London Philharmonic, along with many of the world’s foremost chamber orchestras, according to a MACC news release. Canadian pianist Connie Shih is considered to be one of Canada’s most outstanding artists, the release said. She appears regularly in concert Isserlis. 

The musical program for the Feb. 19 concert is scheduled to include: Bach: Gamba Sonata No. 1 G Major, BWV 1027; Boccherini: Sonata in F Major, G.9; Brahms: Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38; Mendelssohn Variations Concertantes in D Major, Op. 17; and Moscheles Sonata No. 2 in E Major, Op. 121 (1851). Program is subject to change. 

Isserlis has led a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator and author, the release said. “Acclaimed for his profound musicianship, he is also noted for his diverse repertoire, command of phrasing and distinctive sound with his use of gut strings,” it added.

The musician’s honors include a CBE in recognition of his services to music, the Wigmore Hall Gold Medal, and the Piatigorsky Prize, named after Gregor Piatigorsky, one of the great cellists of our time. Isserlis is also one of only two living cellists featured in Gramophone’s Hall of Fame. 

Writing and playing for children is another major enthusiasm, and Isserlis has written the text for three musical stories for children with music by Oscar- winning composer Anne Dudley, as well as books for children about the lives of the great composers.

At the age of 9, Shih made her orchestral debut with Mendelssohn’s first Piano Concerto with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. At the age of 12, she was the youngest ever protégé of the late pianist and heralded solo pianist and educator, Gyorgy Sebok, and then continued her studies at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia with Claude Frank, himself a protégé of noted Austrian-American pianist and composer Artur Schnabel. 

Later studies were undertaken with internationally recognized Chinese-British pianist Fou Tsong in Europe. 

In a solo recital setting, she has made countless appearances in Canada, the U.S., Iceland, England, Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan and China. 

Tickets are $40 and $55 plus applicable fees. MACC members receive a 10% discount and kids 12 and younger are half price.

For information or to purchase tickets, visit the MACC website.