MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS (October 17, 2025) — As part of Homecoming weekend festivities at Monmouth College, 2015 graduate Mariela Shaker will be formally announced as the recipient of her alma mater's Distinguished Young Alumnus Award.
The London-based Shaker will not be present to accept the honor, but just a few days later, her husband, Riyad Nicolas, one of the world's leading pianists, will perform a recital on Monmouth's campus.
Nicolas will perform unique works especially close to his heart, celebrating his Syrian and Armenian heritage, while also weaving together the rich musical voices of the classical canon. Titled "Resonances of Syria, Armenia, and the Classical Masters," his recital will be presented at 7:30PM, October 22, in the Kasch Performance Hall of Dahl Chapel and Auditorium. It is free and open to the public.
From the intricate elegance of Bach's Partita N° 2 and the fiery passion of Beethoven's "Appassionata" sonata, to the lyrical and folkloric colors of Babajanian, Roustom, Succari, and al-Hajjar, the evening will trace a journey across cultures, histories, and emotions. Each piece tells its own story, yet together they form a tapestry of human expression and shared artistry.
Born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1989, Nicolas has already established himself as a leading figure of his generation on the international performing circuit. The Beethoven Piano Society of Europe, where Nicolas regularly is invited to perform, wrote that he gave "a prodigious recital which rose head and shoulders above everything else we have heard this year melding all together into an indissoluble unity of conception."
He has given solo recitals in many prestigious venues in the United Kingdom, including London's Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, and Leighton House. Concert performances have also taken him to the United States, including a debut at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and the Chicago Cultural Center, as well as to various universities, including Princeton. Internationally, he has performed at the Yehudi Menuhin Forum in Switzerland and at venues across France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Malta, Lebanon, and his native Syria.
Nicolas made his first appearance as a soloist with an orchestra at the age of ten in Aleppo. Since then, he has performed with many orchestras including the London Chamber Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, the Emirate Symphony Orchestra in Dubai, and the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra at the opening of the new Damascus Opera House.
He first came to London in 2005 when he was awarded a two-year scholarship to study at the Purcell School of Music with Sulamita Aronovsky, continuing to work with her at the Royal Academy of Music, where he graduated in 2011. Four years later, Nicolas graduated with distinction in a Master of Performance Course at the Royal College of Music, winning the Gold Medal at the prestigious Chappell Piano Competition. He also teaches piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Forest School in London.
He's won numerous international prizes and awards, including first prize with a recording contract at the Francaix International Piano Competition in Paris, first prize at the Ference Liszt International Piano Competition, and the Christopher Duke Recital Prize in the UK.
Like his wife, who is also a Syrian refugee, Nicolas promotes peace and raises awareness for the plights of the Syrian people while performing for many organizations such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Rescue Committee, the Arab British Centre, Said, and the Asfari Foundation.
