Mariela Shaker
“Fled Syria and Found Refuge on the Stage.
Mariela Shaker is singular. A virtuoso.”
-- BuzzFeed.
Syrian American Mariela Shaker is an international award winning violinist and motivational keynote speaker. She is the founder and director of Highams Park Music Academy. Mariela is a Violin faculty at Knox College and Monmouth College since 2018. Mariela strongly believes in music as a tool to bring people from different backgrounds together and to fashion peace and love in our world. Mariela strives to inspire her students to express themselves freely and to find their own unique voice as performing artists.
Mariela began playing the violin after joining the Arabic Institute of Music in Aleppo in 1999. She graduated with distinction from the Institute in 2004 and taught violin there for five years while she completed her Business Administration degree at Aleppo University. In 2013, Mariela received a full-tuition scholarship to study Music Performance at Monmouth College in the US. Prior to graduating, Monmouth College bestowed upon her one of its highest honours: Excellence in Music Performance. Following her Bachelor of Arts, DePaul University awarded her a full-tuition academic scholarship for her Master’s in Music Performance.
Mariela served as Concertmaster for the Monmouth College Chamber Orchestra. She appeared as solo concert violinist with the Mesopotamian Symphony Orchestra at the California Theater; and, organized by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR), gave her debut recital at the Kennedy Center to commemorate World Refugee Day on June 20, 2015. President Obama named her Champion of Change for World Refugees and honoured her at the White House in 2015. During that same year, she also performed for members of the U.S. Legislature.
Her engagements in 2016 included an invitation by Cate Blanchett and the first Scottish Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, for performances in London and at the Beyond Borders International Festival in Scotland, respectively. On the invitation of the International Rescue Committee, she performed for Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan. In 2017, Mariela was appointed UNHCR High Profile Supporter and was also honoured with the Anne Frank Promise Keeper Award in New York City.
Her more recent performances have included programs at the United Nations, the White House, Aspen Ideas Festival, Harvard University, MIT, King’s College Chapel and Georgetown University among other prestigious venues. She has given recitals and masterclasses at more than 120 venues in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, UAE, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and all over the US. Mariela prides herself on her mission: to use her music to build bridges, to promote peace and to raise awareness for the plight of refugees and vulnerable children. Mariela’s remarkable work ensures that not only her music, but also her voice be heard around the world for people in need.
Riyad Nicolas
“Riyad reached an impressive level of musicianship and has a very high level of music sensitivity”
-- Maestro Daniel Barenboim.
Riyad is an International Pianist and multiple prize-winner. He has been complimented by Artists such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Uchida Mitsuko and Daniel Barenboim.
Riyad has an extensive experience of teaching Piano continuously for students of various ages (from 5 to over 65) since 2007. In addition to Highams Park Music Academy, he currently teaches Piano at Guildhall School of Music, Dartford Grammar School and Woodford Green School. He is regularly invited to give masterclasses in many music schools at the UK including the Beethoven Music School and Finchley Music School.
His qualifications includes a Masters in Piano performance (Distinction) from the Royal College of Music, a Bachelors degree from the Royal Academy of Music, and an LRAM degree from the Royal Academy of Music covering all ABRSM and Trinity Grades. He also spent his teenager years studying at the Purcell School of Music in London.
Riyad’s experience includes teaching students of exceptionally high level and supporting them in their preparation for international competitions, concerts and various performance exams at prestigious colleges. He is also experienced in building a solid technical-foundation for beginners, which allows students to express themselves freely while going through ABRSM or Trinity grades or in following a different personal musical path.
In the past, a lot of his students have successfully passed various entry exams for colleges and have won prizes in competitions and festivals such as Ruislip Northwood Festival and West London Pianoforte Festival.
Besides teaching, Riyad is an active concert Pianist. He made his débuts in the UK at Wigmore Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, the Barbican and St. John Smith Square in London and at Bridgwater Hall in Manchester; in the USA at the Lincoln Center in Washington DC and the Dame Myra Hess/Chicago Culture Center; and in Europe at the Yehudi Menuhin Forum in Switzerland. Concert performances have taken him to many cities in Switzerland, France, Spain, Paris, Malta, Holland, Germany, Geneva, the Gulf and Syria. He has been regularly invited to play at various prestigious societies and has performed in total at over 90 societies in the UK alone.
Riyad has performed as soloist with many orchestras such as the London Chamber Orchestra, the Young Musician Symphony Orchestra, the Todmorden Symphony Orchestra, the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Syrian Expat Symphony Orchestra, the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Aleppo.
Riyad has been selected as an Artist of both The Countess of Munster Trust and The Tillett Trust in London. He has received the highest award at many International Piano Competitions including 1st Prize at the Françaix International Piano Competition in Paris, 1st prize at the Liszt Ferenc International Piano Competition and 1st Prize at the Norah Sande Award in the UK. He won a Gold Medal at the Berliner International Music Competition and has been awarded major prizes at the Seiler International Piano Competition in Greece, the Ciutat de Carlet International Piano Competition in Spain, and the London International Piano Competition. He has been a finalist at the Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy.
