Yan Shen
Concert Pianist, Shigeru Kawai Artist
Welcome to the official website of Dr. Yan Shen-classical pianist, educator, and recording artist.
YAN SHEN, Shigeru Kawai Artist
Fanfare Magazine lauded Yan Shen’s performances on her solo album FANTASY | SONATA | ELEGY for their “bravura,” “flair,” “subtlety,” “clarity,” “intellectual curiosity,” “sensitivity,” and “technical prowess,” among many other glowing terms that point to her nuanced and mature artistry.
Formerly a tenured piano faculty member at the Guangzhou Conservatory of Music, China (2005–2010), Dr. Shen holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano and an Artist Diploma in Solo Piano Performance from the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, where she studied with renowned pedagogue Timothy Hester. Prior to her studies in the United States, she received an M.M. in Piano Performance from the Wuhan Conservatory of Music and a B.M. from the Guangzhou Conservatory of Music.
As a prizewinner, Dr. Shen has performed solo and chamber recitals internationally at venues including Carnegie Hall (New York City); Salle Cortot (France); Xinghai Concert Hall, Wuhan Concert Hall, Qingdao Concert Hall, Changsha Concert Hall, Hunan Concert Hall, and Fujian Concert Hall (China); Hong Kong City Hall; and the National Library Concert Hall (Beijing), among others. She has also appeared at numerous music festivals, including the Texas Music Festival (USA); the Bellas Artes Music Festival (Colombia); the “Polyphony” Music Festival (France); the Basel Music Festival (Switzerland); and the Olympic Music Festival (Korea). In addition to her performances, Dr. Shen has been invited to present master classes and recitals at international institutions, including the Schumann Piano School and Grotrian Piano Company (Germany); Bellas Artes University in Medellín, Colombia; the University of Evansville (Indiana, USA); and Northwest Normal University (Lanzhou, China).
Dr. Shen has collaborated with leading concert artists and ensembles, including David Campbell, Eric Varner, Sydney Carlson, Marie Pallot, Lyda-Chen Argerich, Vagram Saradjian, Shuhan Ye, and string musicians from the Houston Symphony and Houston Grand Opera/Houston Ballet. She has also appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and Choir, the Hong Kong Metropolitan Pop Orchestra, the Xinghai Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, the Hunan State Symphony Orchestra, and the Accent Symphony Orchestra (China), among others.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Dr. Shen has toured extensively throughout China, Europe, and the United States. She founded the MAYA Duo in 2017 and co-founded the Pyramid Piano Trio in 2024 with French violinist Marie Pallot and cellist Eric Zorgniotti. In 2020, she gave the world premiere of twelve piano solo works with the Texas New Music Ensemble. In 2023, she played one of the two leading roles in the short film The 13th Note, which won numerous international film awards, including Best Original Music at the London Independent Festival and the 4th Dimension Independent Film Festival in Chile. During the 2024–2026 seasons, Dr. Shen has presented and will continue to present solo and chamber recitals and concerto performances at the Texas Music Festival, with the New Amsterdam Orchestra (NYC), and in Mexico City, Houston, and China.
Dr. Shen is a resident artist of the Hong Kong Metropolitan Orchestra, principal pianist of the Texas New Music Ensemble/Festival, and works at the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston.
June 2026: Texas Music Festival, Moores School of Music, Houston, TXJune 14 2026: Solo Recital, Texas New Music Festival, CDMXJuly 2026: Texas New Music Festival, Match Theater, Houston, TXOctober 2026: Solo/Piano Duo Concert, Midland, TX