Title: Monument Piano Trio
Artist: Monument Piano Trio
Label: ANALOG arts
Release: December 10, 2011
Described as “an ensemble in the truest form of the word”, Monument Piano Trio was founded in 2004 by three friends who love and embrace chamber music. Coming from different award-winning musical backgrounds, each artist in the ensemble brings a unique style to the group, creating a distinctive sound that critics have called “one intricately voiced stream of music, taking the audience through lands of wonder, worry, pleasure and pain.”
Igor Yuzefovich, violin
Dariusz Skoraczewski, cello
Michael Sheppard, piano
Recorded on November 23 and 24, 2011 at the Wright Theater, University of Baltimore.
Recording engineer: Dariusz Skoraczewski
Johannes Brahms
Piano Trio no. 2 op. 87 [1] Allegro
[2] Andante con moto
[3] Presto
[4] Allegro giocoso
Dmitry Shostakovich
Piano Trio no. 2 op. 67
[5] Andante; Moderato
[6] Allegro con brio
[7] Largo
[8] Allegretto
Paul Schoenfield
Cafe Music
[9] Allegro
[10] Andante Moderato
[11] Presto

A winner of numerous competitions, Mr. Yuzefovich has performed in countries across the globe. His concerts have taken him from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Cairo Opera House in Egypt to the concert halls of the Far East and the Southern Hemisphere. As an active chamber musician, Igor Yuzefovich co-founded the Monument Piano Trio in 2004, which debuted to critical acclaim in Baltimore, Maryland and has since captivated audiences across the United States. In November of 2011 the Trio released their debut recording, featuring trios by Brahms, Shostakovich and Schoenfield. In addition to a busy schedule with the HKPO and the Trio, Mr. Yuzefovich leads numerous master classes and is in high demand as guest concertmaster. Please visit www.igory.net to learn more.

Dariusz is a laureate of various international competitions such as the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Leonard Rose Competition in Washington D.C. and the Rostropovich Competition in Paris.
Dariusz began his musical education at the age of six and spent his school years in Warsaw, Poland where his teachers were Professor Z. Liebig and Professor A. Zielinski. He completed his higher education as a scholarship recipient at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore and perfected his art under the supervision of world-renowned cellist Stephen Kates.
The soloist’s repertoire is extremely diverse and includes compositions from early Baroque to the present. His debut CD “Cello Populus” is a collection of solo pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries and includes works of Hindemith, Ligeti, Crumb, Penderecki and others. For further information see www.dskora.com and www.bsomusic.org

Sheppard has received critical acclaim as a grand interpreter of transcriptions of operatic tunes as well as American musical theatre in addition to the traditional piano repertory. Deeply committed to new music, he has worked closely with composers Nicholas Maw, Michael Hersch, Robert Sirota and John Corigliano. Sheppard is a composer in his own right and often programs his original compositions. In addition to being a Classical Fellow of the American Pianists Association, Sheppard has also been a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and the La Gesse Foundation and a prizewinner in the National Federation of Music Clubs National Competition. His recently-released album of contemporary American music for the Harmonia Mundi label has been getting rave reviews. A native of Philadelphia, he resides in Baltimore, where he is represented by Chesapeake International Artists.