The Strad Interviews Gil Shaham About SHCS Concert
Oct 02, 2025
The UK classical musc magazine The Strad sat down recently with violinist Gil Shaham to discuss his understanding of the Romantic world of the Schumanns and their circle, collaborating with his sister pianist Orli Shaham, and opening Shriver Hall Concert Series's 60th Anniversary.
It’s not every season that audiences have the chance to hear you and Orli perform together. What makes these collaborations unique for you both?
Gil Shaham: We love to play together – maybe it’s our favourite thing. It’s true, we don’t get to do it as often as we’d like. Somehow, as you grow up, it gets harder to see your siblings. When we do get to play together, we spend much more time together, on stage and off. So we love it, and I’m very excited about this concert.
How is working with Orli different from your many other collaborations – whether in preparation or in the heat of performance?
Gil Shaham: We’ve known each other for so long. For example, I can remember us sight-reading Robert Schumann’s A minor Sonata at home as kids. I have no idea what it sounded like, but we grew up with music together. That shared history comes through when we play. There’s this confluence of many years of making music side by side.
