Pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner Performs on Shelter Island

Shelter Island Friends of Music welcomes back award-winning pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner on Saturday, September 7, at 6 p.m. at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. Sanchez-Werner previously played for SIFM to a standing-room only crowd at the Presbyterian Church in February 2023. The brilliant virtuoso will perform the music of Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven and Gershwin.

At age 25, Sanchez-Werner won first prize in the 2022 Concert Artists Guild Competition. A true prodigy, the California native began performing regularly with orchestras at age 6. He was the youngest person ever to be admitted to the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs at Juilliard at age 14 and 18 respectively. He also performed at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. That year he was honored as a Gilmore Young Artist, awarded to the most promising American pianists of the new generation.

Besides his talent and virtuosity, what sets this young musician apart is his passion for social justice and public service. He received the Atlantic Council Young Global Citizen Award recognizing his dedication to social action through music in such countries as Iraq, Rwanda, France, Canada, and the U.S. On UN World Day for Cultural Diversity, he performed with the Iraqi National Symphony in Baghdad, raising funds for the Children’s Cancer Hospital, and in Rwanda, he performed for economic leaders and President Kagame as Rwandans rebuild from the Tutsi genocide.

The performance is the seventh concert in SIFM’s 47th season. There is no admission fee, though donations are always appreciated. A reception with the musician follows the concert. Shelter Island Presbyterian Church is at 32 North Ferry Road (Route 114), Shelter Island. Visit shelterislandfriendsofmusic.org for more information.