Born in Croatia and educated at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the California Institute of the Arts and The Juilliard School, where she received her bachelor's and master's degrees in performance, pianist Shirley Irek has firmly established a reputation as a leading collaborative pianist. Her critically acclaimed live performances and recordings continue to place her in high demand. She was a member of a two-piano team for over 15 years, during which time she toured Japan, Africa, France, Portugal and the United States. Highlighting these engagements were the performances of a two-piano concerto by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Michael Colgrass with the Minnesota Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Slatkin. Other orchestral appearances include the North Carolina Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Provence in Cannes, France. As a member of the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble, Ms. Irek performed two critically acclaimed recitals at Carnegie Hall, sponsored by the Carnegie Hall Corporation.

As a soloist, Ms. Irek made her formal debut at the age of seven with the Toronto Chamber Orchestra, performing the Mozart Piano Concerto in A, K.488. This was followed by recital appearances throughout Canada and the US. She performed as the official representative of Canada at the 1964 World's Fair in New York City and at Expo '67 in Montreal. In her early teens, she performed eight piano concerti with the CalArts Symphony, as well as with the Redlands Bowl Orchestra and the California Chamber Orchestra. While a student at The Juilliard School, she won the Mozart Concerto Prize and performed with the Juilliard Orchestra under Sixten Ehrling at Lincoln Center. She was also the first recipient of the Van Cliburn Award in memory of Rosina Lhevinne, a prize awarded once each year for outstanding achievement among pianists. In 2002, she accompanied the national winner of the Music Teachers National Association Competition in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2003, she performed the world premiére of the ballet, Partnering Granados, playing 5 Spanish Dances by Enrique Granados. In March 2004, she performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #3 for the George Balanchine ballet, Allegro Brilliante, performed with the Atlanta Ballet, and was featured as a guest artist/teacher at the Idyllwild Music Festival in California.

Ms. Irek has taught piano for over 20 years. She served as Professor of Piano at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (1990-1994) where she was also Chair of the Keyboard Department, and as visiting Professor of Piano at the State University of New York in Buffalo (1994-1996). She has lived in Atlanta since 1996 and has become a very sought-after accompanist in the southeast United States. She accompanies annually for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Competition in Miami, Florida, the Blount Competition, sponsored by the Montgomery Symphony in Alabama, and continues to perform as piano soloist with the Atlanta Ballet.