WEN SHEN

Pianist Shen Wen, a multifaceted performer, creator, thrives on making classical music fun and enjoyable to
listeners. Born into an artistic family, Wen's childhood was filled with trips to theaters and galleries. This
exposure quickly translated into an understanding of music in her playing. At age eight Wen performed on
Chinese national television and radio after winning the First Children's Piano Competition in Beijing, China.

Since then, Wen has performed across the globe. She has concertized as soloist at Tchaikovsky Conservatory
College, Shostakovitch Conservatory, Rachmaninov Hall, Powell Symphony Hall, Tsinghua University, Central
Academy of Fine Arts, and Great Hall of People in China. Wen also continued to seize top prizes at various
national and internal piano competitions. She is the first prize winner of the Kingsville International Piano
Competition, Corpus Christi International Piano Competition, St. Louis Presentation Society, and Hellam Young
Artist Competition. She was second prize winner at the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition and
Maurice Hinson Piano Competition. Her performance was also heard on radio in Chicago and in Saint Louis.

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Wen is an avid New Music performer who has numerous pieces written and dedicated to her. At Jordan Hall in
Boston she performed Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire without a conductor and worked with the late Milton Babbitt
before performing A Solo Requiem for two pianos and soprano. Also at Jordan Hall, Wen premiered “Whitman 5
songs” for soprano and piano at the request of the composer, Robert Ceely. In 2013 she recorded and released
Joseph Tyldesley's Sonata for Native American Flute and Piano; a piece which explored extended technique
with Native American flute through traditional western musical forms.

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Since moving to St. Louis in 2007, Wen has dedicated her time teaching young students to love music. Her
students have served the community through giving recitals at nursing homes, organizing and performing fund-
raising concerts for charities. Some of them competed and won top prizes at state, national, and international
competitions such as the St. Louis Young Artist Competition, Missouri Music Teachers Association, Music
Teachers National Association, American Protege International Competition, and Golden Key International
Honour Society.

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Passionate about introducing Chinese culture and music to St. Louis audiences, Wen is a founding member of
the St. Louis Yangtze River Art Ensemble, a non-profit organization that promotes Chinese performing arts. Since the founding of the organization in 2015, the Art Ensemble performers have collaborated with renowned
Chinese artists and provided performances for the Chinese New Year celebrations at the Scheidegger Center for the Arts and Chinese Culture Days at the St. Louis Botanical Gardens.

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Wen is a graduate of New England Conservatory where she studied with Wha Kyung Byun. She also studied
with Jane Allen and attended the Preparatory School to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China
under the tutelage of Huisu Chen. She has serviced as Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at St. Louis University
since 2015.