Busy with international touring schedules, conductor Nicholas Milton and pianist Konstantin Shamray don’t get together as often as they would like. A reunion is always special, says Milton.

“Konstantin is a dear friend as well as an incredible pianist,” Milton tells Limelight. “It’s always a thrill to be on stage with him.”

His next opportunity to do so comes on 27 and 28 July at the Concourse Theatre, Chatswood, where Milton and Shamray will perform for a Sydney audience for the first time in over 15 years.

“I hadn’t realised it was so long because we’ve played together many times in other cities,” Milton says. “But I looked it up and this is the first concert we’ve done together since 2008!”

Nicholas Milton. Photo supplied

That 2008 concert was a pivotal one for Shamray. Then an emerging artist, the Russian-born pianist was a finalist in that year’s Sydney International Piano Competition. He triumphed, winning both Judges’ and People’s Choice prizes and six other awards to boot.

Milton conducted Shamray’s final SIPC concert and recalls it vividly. “Konstantin was technically perfect, as you might expect in a competition like that, but I think it was...