Arkai string duo perform live

Violinist Jonathan Miron and cellist Philip Sheegog perform together as Arkai, channeling the diversity of the world through genre-bending music, forging new possibilities for what a violin and cello can be.

Winners of the 2021 Astral Artists National Auditions, their past engagements have included performances at The MET Breuer, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the 92nd Street Y. Their electronic debut composition, “Letters from COVID”, was featured at TED@PMI for a global audience of more than 30,000 people from 182 countries.

Violinist Jonathan Miron‘s commitment to connect with audiences of all cultures has inspired and taken him on an expansive journey to broaden his artistic palate – from collaborating with members of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble, to appearing with Tony and Grammy Award winner Ben Platt at Clive Davis’ famed pre-Grammy party, to impromptu jams with Grammy-nominated Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez at NYC’s 92nd Street Y.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Jonathan’s performance career has taken him to acclaimed concert halls around the world – including solo engagements at The Louvre Museum in Paris, Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. Jonathan is a NS Design Artist.

Cellist Philip Sheegog is a dynamic collaborative artist who maneuvers within a diverse array of musical personas with ease. Drawing from roots influenced by a myriad of musical styles, Mr. Sheegog has been sought out for projects from all ends of the musical spectrum, working with groups from the New York hip-hop/classical collective ShoutHouse to the International Contemporary Ensemble to the Steve Miller Rock Band.

A passionate advocate for collaboration and commissioning, Sheegog has premiered over eighty new works by living artists including over thirty direct commissions. He holds his B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School and is a recipient of the 2017 John Erskine Prize and a Norman Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant.

Arkai was recently commissioned by the Museum of Chinese in America to compose a work for their new exhibition Responses: Asian Americans Resisting the Tides of Racism. Other commissions have included a piece for Silver Lining Ltd’s Impact 5X initiative — a global economic justice project supporting hundreds of small business owners from underserved communities around the world.

Alongside performing, Arkai creates programs in pursuit of a world in which the arts are inseparable from community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their initiative SupportNYC has helped raise over $80,000 in monetary support for small businesses and organizations like the MET Orchestra Musicians, Harmony Project, D’Addario Foundation, and Shakespeare Dallas through fundraising performances, spreading hope and healing to communities across the country through the power of the arts.

Arkai recently earned the 2021 Robert Sherman Music Education and Community Outreach Award presented by WQXR, The Juilliard School, and The Harold W. McGraw Family Foundation in recognition of their work through SupportNYC.

The duo was selected by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs and the Association of American Voices to participate in the ‘21-22 American Music Abroad season. Through this program, they will engage in exchange programs with underserved audiences around the world with little or no access to American music, demonstrating the power of cultural diplomacy as a tool to bring people together.

They are aso creating theirs debut album, Aurora, in collaboration with seven-time Grammy-nominated producer Joel Hamilton.

Alongside performing, Arkai creates programs in pursuit of a world in which the arts are inseparable from community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their initiative SupportNYC has helped raise over $80,000 in monetary support for small businesses and organizations like the MET Orchestra Musicians, Harmony Project, D’Addario Foundation, and Shakespeare Dallas through fundraising performances, spreading hope and healing to communities across the country through the power of the arts.

They were recently honored with the 2021 Robert Sherman Music Education and Community Outreach Award presented by WQXR, The Juilliard School, and The Harold W. McGraw Family Foundation in recognition of their work through SupportNYC.

They were selected by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs and the Association of American Voices to participate in the ‘21-22 American Music Abroad season. Through this program, Arkai will engage in exchange programs with underserved audiences around the world with little or no access to American music, demonstrating the power of cultural diplomacy as a tool to bring people together.

They are currently creating its debut album, Aurora, in collaboration with seven-time Grammy-nominated producer Joel Hamilton.

Seating and the bar open at 6:30 p.m., and this event is indoors. By COVID-19 guidelines, all guests will need to wear a mask when not actively eating and drinking and give proof of vaccination at the door.

Get tickets »