Mission

Celebrating the international arts in the heart of New York City and beyond, the Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation works to introduce and promote global cultural activity and an exchange of ideas, to enlighten and engage an inter-generational audience through entertaining and educational programs in all arts genres.

Rooted in the belief that art transcends borders, we aim to foster a vibrant dialogue among cultures and communities, inspiring creativity, and mutual understanding across all artistic genres.

Since the Festival’s founding, we’ve presented renowned international works of performing and visual arts to US audiences. Our goal is to increase access to the arts; as such, we are committed to offering flexible ticket prices, and planning at least one event every season that’s free of charge.

We are constantly searching for the newest, most daring projects, acclaimed in the international arts arena, to introduce to our audiences in New York and in major cities across North America.

Starting with our first season in 2013, we have partnered with world-class venues to present festival performances, including New York City Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, the New York Public Library and more.

OUR FOUNDERS

Maria Shclover

Co-founder and Producer of the Cherry Orchard Festival

Maria Shclover is a classically trained pianist who went on to graduate from NYU Stern School of Business. With extensive finance experience and her background in the arts, Shclover founded Maestro Artist Management (MAM) in 2004, focusing on providing a bespoke experience to international artists. Over the years, MAM became one of the leading boutique artist management companies that presented acclaimed international tours of renowned classical musicians. In 2012 Shclover co-founded the Cherry Orchard Festival to promote and present international theatrical projects and acclaimed performers to American audiences. During the pandemic, Shclover closely worked with director Igor Golyak and the Arlekin Players Theatre to promote and present his groundbreaking works in virtual theater, State vs. Natasha Banina and chekhovOS, which has received critical acclaim and recognition. In 2020, Maria co-founded Maestro Immersive Art Inc. that partnered with Canada’s Lighthouse Immersive to bring the immersive exhibits to the US. With the success of the Immersive Van Gogh and other titles, Maria Shclover became one of the pioneers in the immersive arts industry.

Irina Shabshis

Co-founder and Artistic Director of the Cherry Orchard Festival

At the start of her career in 2005, Shabshis joined Maestro Artist Management (MAM) as a Partner and Artistic Director. Bringing a strong classical music background and vast computer science experience to the table, she helped MAM become one of the leading boutique artist management companies in the United States. In 2012, together with Maria Shclover, Shabshis co-founded the Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation, a non-profit focused on introducing North American audiences to cutting-edge international theatrical projects and esteemed performers, welcoming prominent international companies and projects such as the Gesher Theatre (Israel), John Malkovich & the international cast of "Giacomo Variations"(Austria), The Theatre of Nations (Russia), Vakhtangov State Theatre (Russia), Jaunais Rīgas teātris (Latvia), Tango Fire Dance Company (Argentina), Rafael Amargo Flamenco Company (Spain), Max Raabe & Palast Orchester (Germany), Theatre-Atelier Piotr Fomenko (Russia) and many more. In 2020, Shabshis became a co-founder of Maestro Immersive Art, which partnered with the first experiential entertainment company, Lighthouse Immersive, to cultivate large-scale immersive exhibitions and events of all art forms that would become recognized across the United States.

OUR BOARD

Dasha Korol

Board Officers
Chair
Committee Members
Finance Committee, Fundraising Committee
Year Appointed
2012
Affiliation

LIGHTHOUSE IMMERSIVE: Director of Events
Ms. Korol is the sister of Co-Founder Maria Shclover

Mikhail Tartakovsky

Board Officers
Vice Chair
Committee Members
Outreach Committee
Year Appointed
2013
Affiliation

TRIPLE THREAT COMMUNICATIONS: Studio and Art Services

Inga Tuluca

Board Officers
Treasurer
Committee Members
Fundraising Committee
Year Appointed
2023
Affiliation

STAMFORD HEALTH MEDICAL GROUP: Physician

Charles Dishian

Board Officers
Board Member
Committee Members
Outreach Committee
Year Appointed
2012
Affiliation

THE TOWN HALL, Audio-Visual, Technical Director

Robert Leibholz

Board Officers
Board Member
Committee Members
Finance Committee, Fundraising Committee
Year Appointed
2023
Affiliation

BAIRESDEC, INC, airesdev, Inc.

Zach El-Tayyeb

Board Officers
Board Member
Committee Members
Finance Committee, Fundraising Committee
Year Appointed
2024 / New Member
Affiliation

Nova Credit, New Business Associate

Irina Shabshis

Board Officers
Board Member
Committee Members
Outreach Committee
Year Appointed
2012
Affiliation

CHERRY ORCHARD FESTIVAL FOUNDATION: Co-Founder & Artistic Director
MAESTRO ARTIST MANAGEMENT: Co-Founder & Vice-President
LIGHTHOUSE IMMERSIVE: Co-Founder & Partner

Maria Shclover

Board Officers
Board Member
Committee Members
Finance Committee, Fundraising Committee
Year Appointed
2012
Affiliation

CHERRY ORCHARD FESTIVAL FOUNDATION: Co-Founder & Producer
MAESTRO ARTIST MANAGEMENT: Co-Founder & President
LIGHTHOUSE IMMERSIVE: Co-Founder & Partner

CAREERS

We are always looking for volunteers and talent to support our upcoming events. For consideration, please submit your request and resume to info@cherryorchardfestival.org