biography
Remarkable young pianist, Veronika Shoot gave a stunning recital of
virtuosity with great assurance, sensitivity and courage. – Herald Express
Born in Moscow, Veronika moved to the UK at the age of five when her father Vladislav Shoot became the composer-in-residence at Dartington Hall. By the age of seven years old she had performed her first recital at the Dartington International Summer School music festival.
Performing across the UK and worldwide, Veronika has broadcasted on platforms such as BBC Spotlight News and BBC Radio 3. She has been invited to play on some of the most prestigious stages in classical music, including London’s Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, St John’s Smith Square, Purcell Room, Steinway Hall, BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, The Rachmaninov Hall in Moscow, Amsterdam Conservatoire, International Mozart Festival in Istanbul, Koblenz Gymnasium and L’Opéra Gabriel at the Château de Versailles.
Veronika studied with full scholarships at The Yehudi Menuhin School under the tutorship of Professor Irina Zaritzkaya, The Purcell School of Music and The Royal Academy of Music, with Professor Tatiana Sarkisova—graduating with a First—and The Royal Scottish Conservatoire with Professor Fali Pavri, where she received a Distinction for her Masters. She has taken part in numerous masterclasses over the years, receiving artistic guidance from musicians such as Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Murray Perahia, Dmitri Bashkirov, Dmitri Alexeev, John Lill, Boris Berman, Pascal Devoyon, Joanna Macgregor and many others.
She is a Laureate of International Competitions including the Yamaha International Piano Competition and the Two Moors Festival, and has been awarded with prizes such as the Frederic Jackson Award, the Michal Hambourg and Elise Campbell Prizes.
Playing a wide-ranging repertoire of solo and chamber music, Veronika is passionate about collaborating with instrumentalists, singers, writers, artists and actors. Recent concerto performances included piano concertos by Mozart, Beethoven, Saint-Saëns, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky and Gershwin, and she has worked with conductors such as Christian Kluxen, Joachim Gustaffson, Tom Hammond, Diego Masson, Jean-Louis Gosselin, Roderick Dunk and James Ross, as well as with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra, Torbay Symphony Orchestra, Hertford Symphony Orchestra, Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra and Les Voix Nouvelles Orchestra.
Veronika is dedicated to creating compelling and innovative programmes that can be performed to a wide audience. She is also a strong believer in the importance of musical education, and has a great joy in sharing her passion for music. In recent projects she devised a series of workshops in schools combining music and art that the students found “the most exciting” of its kind. Veronika was recently appointed ‘Music Ambassador’ for SaMM (the Saturday morning music school at King Edward VI Community College).
Veronika grew up surrounded by nature, music and the arts. In 2019 her solo album ‘Journey Through Childhood' was released, featuring an array of miniatures of including famous masterpieces and unknown musical gems by Debussy, Schumann, Lyadov, Takemitsu, and Shoot.
Passionate about musical education and the importance of providing young people the opportunity to be exposed to music in a way that stimulates a personal connection, creativity, bold expression away from the accustomed classical concert stage, Veronika harbours a thriving community of students. She has created and run numerous collaborative projects combining music, art, storytelling and movement for workshops in schools. She has worked as a faculty member and teacher at Dartington International Summer School, London Russian Music Academy, she was appointed Ambassador’ for SaMM music school. Veronika is also Piano and Yoga faculty member at the annual Philomel Music Academy.
Veronika was first introduced to Yoga by her father at the age of 5. Upon meeting Lord Yehudi Menuhin a year later, discovering his ethos and being invited to study at his school, she explored the practice further. During the years she has been integrating the practice into her life, through personal study, and practice in UK and India, gaining her teacher training qualification with Himalaya Yoga Valley. This journey has been a source or learning and self discovery that has supported many areas of life and inspired her to share the practice with others.
