Lauded by The Strad for her ‘beguiling… thrilling and exuberant’ Royal Festival Hall debut, Shiry pursues an international and diverse career. Her recent recording of Kate Whitley’s Viola Concerto with the Multi-Story Orchestra and conductor Christopher Stark for NMC Records was described as ‘fearless’ by the Guardian.
She has performed in the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Paris Theatre Champs Elysee, Berlin Philharmonie, among others. Live broadcasts include BBC Radio 3, WQXR New York, RAI Italy and the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, and her performances have appeared on BBC 1, 2 and 4.
Shiry is a prize-winner of the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, Cecil Aronowitz Viola Prize, Philharmonia Orchestra Meyer Award, the Countess of Munster Musical Trust Recital Scheme, and is a Making Music Selected Artist.
A passionate chamber musician, Shiry is regularly invited to numerous prestigious festivals, including Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, where she performed with Adrian Brendel, Ian Brown, Thomas Gould, Viviane Hagner, Pekka Kuusisto, Min Jin Kym (author of best-selling ‘Gone: A Girl, A Violin, A Life Unstrung‘), and Endellion Quartet’s David Waterman. In Israel’s Keshet Eilon International Music Centre, Shiry broadcast live for national radio in ensembles with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Atar Arad, Stephan Barratt-Due, Vadim Gluzman, Rudolf Koelman, Shlomo Mintz, among others. She has featured in Cadogan Hall’s ‘Rising Stars’ series.
She previously held a position at the Philharmonia Orchestra, and freelances with the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia.
An active and caring pedagogue, Shiry was appointed Professor of Viola at Royal Holloway, University of London, in 2013. In 2017 she was made Director of Preparatory and Primary Courses of Pro Corda, and has been a member of faculty of the New Virtuosi International Mastercourse since its inception, including Acting Executive Director in 2017. She has given masterclasses at Le Altre Note International Music Festival and the University of Transylvania in Brasov.
Born in London to a musical family, she began her artistic education aged five under the guidance of her parents, violin pedagogues Itzhak Rashkovsky and Ani Schnarch. After obtaining a BA in Social and Political Sciences from St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, Shiry went on to complete a Masters with First Class Honours and Artist Diploma at the Royal College of Music, where she studied with Natasha Boyarska and Ian Jewel. She attributes much of her musical journey to masterclasses and musical encounters with Ida Haendel, Kim Kashkashian, Gyorgy Pauk, Thomas Riebl, Lars Anders Tomter, and the Ying Quartet.
Jennifer Hughes is a collaborative pianist specialising in the repertoire for piano and strings. Based in London and Cambridge, she has performed across Europe at venues including Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Oslo Opera House, St John’s Smith Square, St James’s Piccadilly and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. She has also appeared at Festivals in Italy, Sweden, Norway, Russia and China as well as across the UK. She recently released a disc 'Ireland, Delius & Bax: Cello Sonatas' with Lionel Handy (Lyrita).
Jennifer is Duo Coach for the String Department at the Royal College of Music. She has also accompanied and coached students at Aldeburgh Young Musicians, New Virtuosi International Mastercourse, Festival Quattro Corde and Voksenasen SummerAcademy.
Jennifer has been awarded the Royal Over-Seas League Accompanist’s Prize, the AESS Patricia Routledge National English Song Competition Accompanist’s Prize, the Joaninha Trust Accompanist’s Prize, the Titanic Memoriam Prize (RCM) and an award from the Geoffrey Parsons Memorial Trust. She is also a Park Lane Group Artist.
She studied with Hilary Coates as a DfES Scholar at Wells Cathedral School and later graduated with Bachelor and Masters Degrees from the Royal College of Music where she studied with John Blakely and Roger Vignoles. Her studies were supported by the Draper’s Company, Henry Wood Trust, Help Musicians UK and the Worshipful Company of Founders. Jennifer also held the Gilbert and Eileen Edgar Junior Fellowship in piano accompaniment at the RCM.
Free recital (retiring collection)