Playing Like a Butterfly
Playing Like a Butterfly
17-year-old cellist Xavier Ip performs Fauré’s Papillon, Op. 77 with pianist Orli Shaham. Xavier says he imagines a bright blue butterfly when he plays this wonderful piece.
Xavier Ip
cello
Watertown, Massachusetts
Xavier performs on Show 422.
Xavier Ip (cello), 17, lives in Watertown, Massachusetts, and attends Buckingham Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge. He studies cello with Mark Churchill at New England Conservatory’s Preparatory School. Xavier is a member of Project STEP, New England Conservatory’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (YPO) and BEAM (Bridge to Equity and Achievement in Music). Xavier has performed in various masterclasses and recitals, including a solo performance for cellist Johannes Moser. Outside of playing music, Xavier is an avid listener, and especially enjoys hip hop and R&B.
Orli Shaham
co-host/creative, piano
New York, New York
Orli has joined From the Top as Guest Host on Show 420, Show 422, Show 404, Show 405, Show 390, Show 389, Show 379, Show 380, and Show 361.
Concert Pianist Orli Shaham is a regular guest host on From the Top and has an impressive international reputation as one of today’s most gifted pianists. The New York Times called her a “brilliant pianist”, and she is admired worldwide for her interpretations of both standard and modern repertoire.
Orli Shaham released Volumes 1, 2 & 3 of the complete Mozart Sonatas on Canary Classics to rave reviews around the world: “overwhelmingly stunning” (Piano Dao), “altogether exceptional” (World Music Report) and “An absolute must for any of Mozart’s fans” (Midwest Record Review). Volumes 4, 5 and 6 are released in 2023. Her Mozart recording project also includes a concertos album with St. Louis Symphony, proclaimed “outstanding” by International Piano.
In addition to performing concertos and recitals around the world, she is on the piano and chamber music faculty at The Juilliard School. In 2022 Ms. Shaham served on the jury for Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Honens International Piano Competition. She is host of Orli Shaham’s Bach Yard, a live interactive concert series and interactive video series for young children designed to develop listening skills, which she founded in 2010.
Ms. Shaham is one of From the Top’s Co-Hosts and Creatives, and has hosted episodes since 2018.
Follow Orli: Facebook @OrliShahamPiano | Twitter @orlishaham | Instagram @orlishaham