Performers

JESSICA CHOW SHINN and MICHAEL SHINN, piano
JAMES AUSTIN SMITH, oboe
MANUEL BAGORRO, host

This Well-Being Concert is created in partnership with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. Find musical mindfulness and self-care in a Well-Being Concert with the husband and wife piano duo, Michael and Jessica Shin who are joined by the deeply thoughtful and inventive soloist and chamber musician, oboist James Austin Smith. The concert is hosted by our Artistic Director, Manuel Bagorro. 

Audience members are encouraged to bring yoga mats, cushions etc. (we’ll have a few extras) – you are welcome to choose if you’d like to lie down, sit on the floor, take your shoes off, to fully immerse yourself in the music. Chairs will be provided as needed. Music performed in this well-being experience includes Thomas Cabaniss’ set of pieces for piano, four hands - Tiny Bits of Outrageous Love, as well as solo oboe pieces. Join us for this restorative and healing musical experience.

Tickets: Age 35+: $38 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Interview with Jessica Chow Shinn

RELAX INTO MUSIC AT 'A WELL-BEING CONCERT'

Let's be honest. Concerts can get a bit hot and overstimulating. Not this one. A Well-Being Concert invites you to lie on pillows, take off your shoes, and escape the noise of life for a while. 

 “Live music can be experienced in many ways beyond sitting in a chair. When we listen in a state of ease—open, unhurried, and fully present—its restorative power can reach us most deeply,” says Manuel Bagorro, Bay Chamber's Artistic Director and host of A Well Being Concert.

The joy doesn't end there. Ever hear four chords played at once on a single piano?

At A Well-Being Concert, you'll get to experience one of the most lush, calming (and unusual) forms of instrumentation: piano four hands. Jessica Chow Shinn and her husband, Michael Shinn have been sharing a piano bench for 16 years. They work closely with composer Thomas Cabiniss whose tender, sumptuous work dedicated to his wife, Tiny Bits of Outrageous Love,  will be played at the concert. It was written with the Shinns in mind. They play the piece with quiet urgency and passion.

"He writes the most creative and interesting music that really lends itself well to our individual personalities," Jessica says. "In many ways, Tom knows each of us better than we know ourselves."

A Well-Being Concert also features tender and playful oboe solos by internationally acclaimed musician James Austin Smith.

We talk to Jessica about Thomas Cabiniss's music, piano four hands, and how Cabiniss helped speed she and Michael down the aisle. 

We also asked how Michael and Jessica have time to perform when he is the executive director of Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Jessica is an Associate Professor of Collaborative Piano.

Tell us how piano four hands works and how it lends itself to Tiny Bits of Outrageous Love.

Two pianists share one keyboard! This can be a bit of a challenge for pianists who are used to having the whole keyboard to themselves, but it is wonderful fun to manage the intricate choreography this particular ensemble requires.

How did you and Michael come to this particular instrumentation?

We like to call Tom Cabaniss our musical cupid. Early on, when we first started dating, Tom arranged a piece of his for piano four-hands that we performed in a Juilliard faculty concert. Michael and I became close fast, and the rest is history!

You and Michael have REALLY busy careers outside of performance. How do you find the time to practice and perform?

We banked a lot of time at the piano in our student days and are using it now! Since we have been playing together for around 16 years now, we are very comfortable communicating musically with each other and do not need as much rehearsal time as in past years.