Ukrainian-American cellist VALERIYA SHOLOKHOVA is a sought-after soloist and chamber musician based in New York City. She has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, David Geffen Hall, The Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum, and Saturday Night Live. Valeriya has toured extensively across Europe, with performances in Denmark, Austria, Croatia, Poland, the Baltic States, Sweden, Germany, and Ukraine. In 2022, she co-founded Trio Fadolin, an innovative ensemble exploring the unique sonority of the six-string fadolin. The trio has since been awarded Chamber Music America’s Ensemble Forward Grant and recorded an album of newly commissioned works.

As a soloist, Valeriya has performed the U.S. premiere of Peteris Vasks’ Cello Concerto No. 2 in Boston as well as Camille Pepin’s double concerto, “The Sound of Trees” at the Kennedy Center. She has also championed the works on Ukrainian composers through solo recitals, fundraisers, and her ongoing involvement with the Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival. Valeriya is a laureate of several international competitions, including the Liezen International Cello Competition and the Antonio Janigro Competition. She has held principal cello positions at notable festival orchestras such as Spoleto Festival USA, Orchestra of the Americas, the Perlman Music Program, Music Academy of the West, and Thy Music Festival in Denmark. Currently, serves as principal cellist with The New Orchestra of Washington, The Refugee Orchestra Project, The Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, and is on the Lincoln Center Stage roster.

Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Valeriya is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, where she studied under full scholarship with Bonnie Hampton and David Geber. She also pursued studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Professor Morten Zeuthen. In addition to her performing career, Valeriya is dedicated to community outreach, regularly performing through Sing for Hope in public spaces, hospitals, nursing homes, and correctional facilities.