Roger Shen Takes First Place In Lee’s Piano Competition

  • Friday, June 23, 2017

Roger Shen took first place in the 13th annual Lee University piano competition for the collegiate division. The award ceremony concluded the International Piano Festival and Competition held June 11-17 on Lee’s campus. 

Third place was awarded to Chin-An Lin, with an honorable mention going to Tzu-Jung Peng. For the pre-collegiate division, rather than traditional first, second, and third place awards, three second prizes were awarded this year to Jimmy Liu, Min Shu Tsai, and Ana Yam. 

Finalists were chosen from a field of nine outstanding young pianists, all of whom also participated in the week-long festival. The festival’s 19 participants enjoyed performances by world-renowned guest artists Mirian Conti, Dmitri Vorobiev, Pei-Chun Liao, and Jonathan Jung. Participants also worked closely with Lee University's own faculty members Phillip Thomas and Cahill Smith.  

This year, participants engaged with the faculty in group lessons and master classes, in addition to classes in chamber music, piano literature, music career skills, and historical performance.
“We had a wonderful week of amazing piano music,” said Dr. Thomas. “Participants and faculty alike expressed anticipation for next year's Festival.” 

Mr. Shen is a 19-year-old student from Northbrook, Illinois, who recently graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy. Mr. Shen was one of the 23 competitors for the First Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition. A first prize winner in Music Teachers National Association competitions in Illinois and New Hampshire, he has been featured on WFMT 98.7, a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, and performed in two recitals at Carnegie Hall. He is the winner of the 2016 Miami International Piano Festival Academy and the 2017 David D. Dubois Piano Competition. 

Ms. Lin, 18, began studying piano at age five in her native country, Taiwan. She majors in piano and minors in clarinet at the University of Taipei. She played her first piano recital when she was 12, and since then, has participated in numerous masterclasses, which provided her with diverse ideas and inspiration. Ms. Lin studies with Pei-Chun Liao and aspires to become a professional pianist. 

Mr. Peng, 21, was born in Taiwan and began playing piano at the age of five. He currently studies at University of Taipei with Pei-Chun Liao. He has also taken lessons and masterclasses with Hong Xu, Jean-Marc Luisada, Geoffrey Duce, Philip Martin, and Lena Ching. 

Mr. Liu, from Johnson City, Tn., is 16 years old and a sophomore at Science Hill High School. He has won many MTNA and Tennessee Music Teachers Association state competitions, and he won the Tennessee Tech University Young Artist Piano Competition in 2016. This year, Mr. Liu and his duet partner Mary Nerren, also a participant in this year’s piano festival, won the Tennessee State Senior Piano Duet Competition, the Southern Division Competition, and the Weekley and Arganbright National Piano Duet Competition. He currently studies piano from Esther Park and violin with David Kovac at East Tennessee State University. 

Ms. Tsai, 17, was born in Taipei, Taiwan. She began her piano studies with Chia-Ho Cheng at the age of six. In 2012, she performed in the Xiamen-Taiwan Suzuki Method Friendship Concert in Xiamen, China. In 2015, she attended the Tenth European Suzuki Convention in Davos, Switzerland. Ms. Tsai has performed in masterclasses with Julian Jacobson and Philip Martin. She currently studies with Pei-Chun Liao. 

Ms. Yam is a 14-year-old student from San Francisco, Ca. She began studying piano with her current teacher Larisa Kanevski in 2012. She won the Iowa Music Teachers Association Piano Competition Level A and Level F. She also won the Central Iowa Symphony’s Young Artist Competition and has subsequently performed with the orchestra. Later, Ms. Yam took first place at the MTNA Division Junior Competition. At her middle school, she sings in the chorus and plays the viola in the orchestra. 

For information on the annual Lee University International Piano Festival and Competition, contact Lee’s School of Music at 614-8240 or visit www.leeupiano.com.
 

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