We are honored to welcome back, by popular demand, the internationally acclaimed Steinway Artist Sandra Shen, whose artistry has captivated audiences across the globe. Hailing from San Francisco, Sandra brings both brilliance and warmth to the stage, transforming each performance into an intimate conversation between music and listener.This year’s finale program, Dance and Fantasy, explores music’s power to move both body and spirit. Dance embodies connection, elegance, and passion, while fantasy opens doorways to imagination, yearning, and transcendence. Together, they lift us beyond the everyday into realms of grace and creativity.Sandra’s program includes Bach’s English Suite No...
read more
We are honored to welcome back, by popular demand, the internationally acclaimed Steinway Artist Sandra Shen, whose artistry has captivated audiences across the globe. Hailing from San Francisco, Sandra brings both brilliance and warmth to the stage, transforming each performance into an intimate conversation between music and listener.This year’s finale program, Dance and Fantasy, explores music’s power to move both body and spirit. Dance embodies connection, elegance, and passion, while fantasy opens doorways to imagination, yearning, and transcendence. Together, they lift us beyond the everyday into realms of grace and creativity.Sandra’s program includes Bach’s English Suite No. 2 in A minor, Schubert selections from Landler, Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasy, and Schumann’s deeply personal Fantasiestucke . Each work invites us to journey inward while celebrating music’s timeless beauty.An exquisite close to our festival, this afternoon promises inspiration, artistry, and unforgettable music.Steinway Artist Sandra Wright Shen has been described as a classical “pianist of the first order”. With her passion, musicality, and inspiration, she aims to move hearts through music.Sandra has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in 14 countries and throughout US, at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Music Center in DC, the Chicago Cultural Center, Monte Carlo Opera House, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Frankfurt Cultural Center in Germany, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, Taiwan National Concert Hall, Korea Seoul Arts Center, Hong Kong City Hall, Granada Intl Music Festival, Recontres Musicale de Chaon in France, Brevard Music Festival, Tanglewood BUTI, Chelsea Music Festival and Masterworks Music Festival. As a guest artist, she has appeared with Charleston Symphony, Hilton Head Symphony, Redlands Symphony, Brevard Festival Sinfonia, New Millennium Orchestra, Greater San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Formosa Philharmonic Orchestra, Taiwan National Symphony, Taipei Symphony and others. Shen was the Artist-In-Residence of the Charleston Symphony for the 2017-18 season. She has played chamber concerts with Vesselin Paraschkevov, former concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and with Amos Yang, Assistant Principal Cello of San Francisco Symphony, Brinton Smith, Principal Cello of Houston Symphony and bassoonist Sergio Azollini. She has also performed on tour in Asia with cellist Nina Kotova.Shen has received several first prizes in several major piano competitions, including the 2012 France International Piano Competition, 1997 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, the 1996 Mieczyslaw Munz Piano Competition, and the 1990 Taiwan National Piano Competition.Shen’s recordings include her debut CD featuring Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, and the Saint-Saëns “Carnival of the Animals”, both released on the Taiwan Rolling Stone Music label. "Momentum", with cellist Miriam Smith, was released in 2022 on Azica Records.As an educator, Shen is the Piano Chair of San Francisco Conservatory of Music PreCollege, Piano Lecturer at Stanford University starting Fall 2025, and Faculty at Masterworks Festival. She served as guest faculty for Tanglewood BUTI Young Artist Piano Program, and on the piano faculty at the Brevard Music Festival, Steinway Society Summer Music camp, Music @Tetauchi, American Fine Arts Festival in Europe and others. She also served as piano faculty at Southern Illinois University and has been frequently invited to be Distinguished Guest Faculty at Furman University. Her students have received top prizes from various competitions including International Piano Competition of Orléans for the youth in France, the Chopin Foundation, American Virtuoso International and others.Sandra performed live for WCQS radio station in Asheville, filmed a 4-part series titled “The Movements of the Master composers” for Hong Kong TV, and “Inspiration From Above” featuring spiritual lives of the composers for US Creation TV. She also hosted a classical music program on Taiwan IC broadcast radio station. Mixing music and philanthropy, Sandra has played benefit concerts for disaster victims, foster children, firefighters, and music education for underprivileged children.Sandra was born in Taiwan and received her Bachelor and Master of Music with a piano performance major and organ minor from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she studied with legendary pianist, Ann Schein and organist Donald Sutherland. Her teachers include Zalina Gurevich and Oleg Barsov, Raymond Hanson, Dr. Michael Dellinger, Jorg Demus, Ruth Slencynska, Thomas Laratta, Erna Gulabyan, and Haggai Niv. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area.
show less
