Challenging Performances

Darijus Spakauskas, Artistic Director, started to play piano at age 4. In 1995  he Graduated from Music Academy of Lithuania with Bachelor's, Master's and Post-Graduate Degrees in Piano Solo, Accompaniment, Composition, Advanced Teacher and Chamber Music Diplomas. During this period, Mr. Spakauskas was performing and composing in Lithuania, Russia, Poland, England, Portugal and Belgium.
During 1997-2009 Mr. Spakauskas was studying piano and composition at College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati as well as he founded  Lituanica Audio-Video Studio in Cincinnati, where he was working as an Audio-Video Engineer, Manager and Producer. He works and lives now  in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as well as traveling in US.

Mr. Darijus Spakauskas has released several solo CD's, including Classical, Jazz piano and Electronic Music Compositions.
As an Audio engineer, his work was recognized by well known Labels, such as McGraw hill, Naxos and Albany Records.
As a Video Engineer, Darijus is filming recitals and other events in Ohio and other states in United States and Canada. His short Movie "Butterflies" in collaboration with other artists, won the best "Short Movie 2005" award in Cincinnati, OH, US.

Recent work is pending for a new movie audio recording in Toronto, Ontario

Shirley Soukup is a PhD in Endocrinology and prior to retirement did volunteering for various civic organizations and baking cookies for the Concert Series.

Victor G. Soukup, business manager is a PhD Organic Chemist who is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Biological Sciences Department at UC. His father was a well known violinist and teacher in the Chicago area. He has had a strong interest in musical performance and musicology for more than 50 years.

In memory of

A. Joan Wolking, former Business Manager, was a student of music from age six, and at age 18 came to Cincinnati to study at CCM. After receiving her degree, she continued to be active in music for many years, performing as well as teaching.
 In 1999, when she was employed as church secretary at Northern Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, where she met Darijus Spakauskas, Choir and Music Director, and together, with the help of other church members, they build Challenging Performances into a beautiful series today. Joan's work for the series consisted of writing publicity and the collecting and transcribing of artist's histories, which she included in concert programs. She also created posters, and designed and printed the concert programs.

A native of Taiwan, pianist Shiau-uen Ding is a skilled and energetic interpreter of standard solo and chamber repertoire. In addition, she specializes in new music, and she is a founder and director of NeXT Ens.
Several composers have written or are writing pieces for Ms. Ding, including Christopher Bailey, Burton Beerman, Gao Ping, Mara Helmuth and Margaret Schedel.

She has been developing a touring project with composers of Electric Music Collective. She has also premiered many works and, this year, will give the world premiere of new works by Gao Ping as well as the American premiere of Moritz Eggert's Hammerklavier XVIII, for solo piano.

She was an Assistant Director of the CP Concert Series.