Sandra Wright Shen

Pre-College
  • Chair, Piano
sandra shen headshot

Contact

Departments

Pre-College

Instruments Taught

Piano

Education

MM, Peabody Conservatory

BM, Peabody Conservatory

"I seek to bring out the best in students, to nurture them to love music, to listen intently, to observe thoughtfully, to stretch their imaginations, to strive for excellence, and embrace life with the joy of music."

— —Sandra Shen

Q&A

What are you passionate about outside of music?

The beauty of nature 

Who were your major teachers?

Ann Schein, Jorg Demus, Zalina Gurevich 

What is a favorite quote that you repeatedly tell students?

Music is enough for a lifetime 

What question do you wish students would ask sooner rather than later?

What’s the purpose and meaning of music

What was the defining moment when you decided to pursue music as a career?

Watching Alban Berg String Quartet rehearse and perform late Beethoven string quartet

What was a turning point in your career?

My husband’s incredible support 

If you weren't a musician or teacher, what do you think you would be doing now?

Can’t really imagine this

What is your daily practice routine?

Warm up exercises, new pieces, technical drills, review an old piece.  

If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?

Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff 

From a music history perspective, what year and city are most important to you, and why?

Heiligenstadt Germany, 1802.  That’s when Beethoven wrote his letter of farewell to his brothers revealing his innermost struggles and vulnerable feelings towards the losing of his hearing that encouraged me when I had doubts as a musician to never give up.  

What is your unrealized project?

So many… Play all the Bach WTC, his organ works, conduct Bach’s Magnificat, sing all his cantatas.  

What do you think makes a concert experience unique?

Awakening the mind and soul beyond self through genuine expression of transcending beauty and meaning 

Please list your top awards and distinctions.

First Prize of Hilton Head International Competition, Munz Piano Competition, and the honor of playing for Mr. Fred Rogers 

What recordings can we hear you on? (Please list five or fewer and specify record label.)

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 and Saint Seans Carnival of the Animals both on Taiwan Rolling Stone Record Label, Momentum, a collaboration with cellist Miriam K Smith on Azica Records 2022

Biography

Pianist Sandra Shen has appeared as a soloist and guest artist over 400 concerts in 16 countries, including concerts at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Chicago Cultural Center, the Frankfurt Cultural Center in Germany, Monte Carlo Opera House, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, the Taiwan National Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center in Korea, Hong Kong City Hall, Granada Intl Music Festival, and Recontres Musicale de Chaon in France. Shen was the Artist-In-Residence of the Charleston Symphony for the 2017-18 season. She has received several first prizes in competitions, including the France International Piano Competition and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition and the Mieczyslaw Munz Piano Competition. Shen’s recordings include her debut CD featuring Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, recorded live, and the Saint-Saëns “Carnival of the Animals”, both released on the Taiwan Rolling Stone Music label.

As an educator, Shen served on the piano faculty of the Masterworks Music Festival, the Brevard Music Festival, the Southern Illinois University and the Distinguished Visiting Professor at Furman University. She received her Bachelors and Masters of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music under the direction of legendary pianist, Ann Schein. Sandra Wright Shen is a Steinway Artist. http://www.sandrashen.com

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