Idith Meshulam Korman, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra & Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey
Biographie Idith Meshulam Korman, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra & Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey
Idith Meshulam Korman
Born in Israel, Ms. Meshulam first studied piano with her mother, Shelly Asher-Meshulam. At age nine, she performed with the Tel Aviv Chamber Orchestra, and for several years with the Kibbutzim Orchestra, all the while giving solo recitals and broadcast concerts throughout Israel. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv, she focused on playing the works of contemporary composers, among them Olivier Messiaen, for whom she has played in person.
Ms. Meshulam received her doctorate from New York University, where she taught for ten years. While a student at NYU, she researched the unpublished piano music of Stefan Wolpe for her doctoral dissertation. Her involvement with the Greek composer Nikos Skalkottas began in 1999, when she organized the first all-Skalkottas concert in NY, honoring him on the 50th anniversary of his death. This work led Ms. Meshulam to her collaboration with the composer and conductor Gunther Schuller, with whom she recorded Skalkottas’ 32 Piano Pieces for GM Recording in 2004. American Record Guide describes her performance: "Ms. Meshulam plays with energetic moxie and aplomb, her technique truly phenomenal, yet her subtle coloring of the introspective passages is no less awe-inspiring."
Ms. Meshulam is the founder and director of Ensemble π, which plays a vital role in the programming and performance of living composers. Every year, since its inception in 2001, the ensemble presents an installment in its Peace Project – a multimedia concert of commissioned and new works in collaboration with visual artists, writers, actors, and journalists. A multi-year collaboration with composer Elias Tanenbaum resulted in a CD of his chamber music, Keep Going, reviewed by Gramophone as “A touching tribute to Elias Tanenbaum that is played with conviction and verve.” It was followed by a CD of Laura Kaminsky’s works, praised for its “warmth and variety.” Ms. Meshulam and Ensemble π have also been longtime supporters of the work of South African artist William Kentridge and composer Philip Miller – a collaboration that culminated in several multimedia chamber concerts, commission, and a solo recital at the Milan Museum.
Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey
Alaska-born conductor, scholar and educator Cayenna Ponchione-Bailey is emblematic of the 21st century’s newest vanguard of orchestral leadership—her bold orchestral initiatives are pioneering in tackling the pressing issues of our time and have been featured in BBC Music Magazine, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times and on BBC Radio 3. Based in the UK, she is Director of Performance at St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, Conducting Fellow of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Conducting Associate and Director of Research for the Oxford Conducting Institute and Academic Lead for OAcademy, a global music conservatory which democratises access to elite orchestral education.
She holds a doctorate in Music from the University of Oxford and has held prestigious research positions at the University of Oxford (2017-2021) and University of Sheffield (2021-2024). Her research is focused on the socio-psychological and socio-political aspects of orchestral music-making—from the intricacies of co-performer communication in modern and historically informed contexts, to the politics of participation and orchestras' geo-political significance. Her scholarship has been published by Oxford University Press, Music & Science, and Nineteenth-Century Music Review amongst others. As part of her advocacy for historic and contemporary female composers she has recently recorded the complete surviving keyboard concerti of 18th-century Viennese composer Marianna Martines with pianist Idith Korman and the Oxford Philharmonic to be released on the Signum label in April 2026.
