From within comes the voice
of the heart (telling the truth, and
tears), this is the idee fixe.

Oh happy is the passing tone
that is freed from silence
and united with the existence
of organic sound.

The Nonharmonic tones are lonely
prisoners (if they) are not seeking
to ornament their Neighbor tones.

- Yusef Lateef - August, 2003

Pianist Nadine Shank made her concert debut at age 15 with the World Youth Symphony Orchestra of Interlochen, as winner of their prestigious concerto competition. She was an award winner in MTNA, Manson and Hamlin, and National Federation of Music Clubs competitions. Ms. Shank earned degrees at the Oberlin Conservatory, receiving the Rudolph Serkin Piano Award and the Pi Kappa Lambda Piano Prize, and at the Indiana University, appearing as a soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra as winner of their concerto competition. Her teachers have included Menahem Pressler, Sanford Margolis and John Wustman.

Ms. Shank is the orchestral pianist with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (Massachusetts), and is Professor of Music in Piano and Director of the Collaborative Piano Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Nadine Shank has performed at such prestigious venues as the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.; Jordan Hall and the Tsang Performance Center, Boston; Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall and 92nd Street Y in New York City; the Cleveland Orchestra's Blossom Chamber Festival, and the Modadnock Festival, New Hampshire. She has appeared in festivals in Germany, England, Holland and the Virgin Islands. In a duo with violinist Charles Treger for over 10 years, she has performed extensively and has toured in the United States and Poland, most recently playing the cycle of Sonatas for Violin and Piano of Beethoven. Ms. Shank's performances have been recorded on the CRI, Gasparo, New World and Spectrum labels. For Centaur she recorded "American-Jewish Art Songs" with soprano Paulina Stark and on the Open Loop label, Ms. Shank and saxophonist Lynn Klock recorded three CD's. She has recorded numerous "Play-Along" CD's of saxophone and clarinet literature for Open Loop.

She may also be heard with Wayne Tice on the YAL CD entitled: "Wayne Tice Plays the Music of Yusef Lateef"

Please note: This release is out of print.