Meet conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg at P.O. Winery’s next sip-and-shop event

By Reader Staff

The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint has hosted international and guest conductors since 2012 as part of its annual Music Matters! Summer Academy Youth Orchestra and Music Without Borders initiative. This year may be just a taste of things to come, as guest conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg will pass the baton, following her week in Sandpoint, to her new role as assistant conductor of the Spokane Symphony later this month.

A graduate of Julliard and a believer in music’s power to connect and heal, Samuels-Shragg co-founded the Plano Symphony Youth Orchestra Camp and helped design and play piano in the concert “Dialogue in Three Movements: An Artistic Journey of Israel/Palestine in celebration of International Day of Peace.” 

Photo by Sophia Szokolay.

During her regional conducting season with the Spokane Symphony this fall, Samuels-Shragg will continue to maintain her current post with the Plano Symphony Orchestra.

“We are delighted to welcome Shira and introduce this up-and-coming conductor to our region,” said MCS Director Karin Wedemeyer. 

As part of her introduction, and to help raise funds for the conservatory’s Music Matters! outreach, a sip-and-shop event will be hosted at the Pend d’Oreille Winery, on the corner of Third Avenue and Cedar Street, on Thursday, Aug. 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. Fans of the symphony and those wishing to support the next generation of budding musicians are invited to attend.

Samuels-Shragg will be on hand for a portion of the evening to mingle with guests and experience downtown Sandpoint in the summertime. 

Giving — as well as taking in good food and wine — is encouraged, as the winery will donate a portion of sales to MCS, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, serving Sandpoint’s youth with quality and accessible performing arts education.

For more information on Music Matters! or the sip-and-shop event, contact the MCS office at 208-265-4444. Contributions can be mailed to: MCS, 110 Main St., Sandpoint, ID 83864, or shared online at sandpointconservatory.org/giving.