Keys to the Beautiful Game
Price range: $11.98 through $19.98
Available on July 17, 2026A New Album of World Premieres from GRAMMY® Award-Winning Pianist Nadia Shpachenko!
Compositions from nine of the best contemporary composers, all with the theme of the challenges and excitement of soccer. Remember the joys of the 2026 soccer World Cup forever!
“Gifted and versatile pianist” (San Francisco Chronicle) and GRAMMY® Award winner Nadia Shpachenko is known for bringing innovative and unconventional musical projects to life, often featuring distinctive sonic qualities and unusual instrumentation. Her concert appearances have included performances at the Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Piano Spheres series, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella and Chamber Music Series, as well as engagements with numerous orchestras throughout Europe and the Americas.
A passionate advocate for contemporary music, Shpachenko has premiered more than 150 new works by many of today’s leading composers. The composers featured on Keys to the Beautiful Game are Tom Flaherty, Pamela Z, Ian Dicke, David Sanford, Dana Kaufman, Harold Meltzer, Christopher Cerrone, Oliver Dubon, and Adam Schoenberg.
Her 2019 Reference Recordings release The Poetry of Places, featuring world-premiere recordings of architecture-inspired compositions, received the GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Compendium. Her subsequent Reference Recordings album, Invasion: Music and Art for Ukraine, donated all CD proceeds to humanitarian aid efforts in Ukraine and featured music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lewis Spratlan alongside artwork by Ukrainian artists.
Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Nadia Shpachenko is a Steinway Artist, Schoenhut Toy Piano Artist, and Professor of Music at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona).
On This Recording
Part 1: Introduction Tom Flaherty
- Goal Mining for piano and electronics (2022) (10:07)
Pamela Z
- Balón for solo piano, tape, voice, and electronics (2021) (5:38)
Ian Dicke Telestar Loops for piano and electronics (2021)
- I. Tensegrity (3:53)
- II. Satellite (5:57)
- III. Buckyball (4:43)
Part 2: Earn Your Place David Sanford
- La Pulga Variations for solo piano (2021) (15:55)
Dana Kaufman Honeyball for speaking pianist and soccer cleats (2021/2023)
- I. An Ungraceful Jog Trot (4:41)
- II. Change is Slow (4:58)
- III. Coquetry and Cleats (2:26)
Part 3: Hero’s Journey Harold Meltzer
- Dribble for solo piano (2022) (4:15)
Christopher Cerrone
- Corridor of Uncertainty for piano and electronics (2022) (3:37)
Oliver Dubon
- The Hand of God for solo piano (2022) (5:22)
Adam Schoenberg
- Last Dance for solo piano (2021) (3:57)
