13 year old pianist Roger Shen of Northbrook
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Roger Shen, 13, is a 7th grader at Northbrook Junior High in Northbrook, IL. Roger loves classical music and began to learn piano at the turn of age 7. His current teacher is Sueanne Metz. Among the awards, all in Junior Division, he won the 1st prize winner of 2011 Brandshaw & Buono International Piano Competition, the 1st place of the 6th Aloha International Piano Competition in 2011, the 1st place of 2010 Chicago area Steinway Young Artist Competition, the Early Music Category winner of 2010 Walgreens National Concerto Competition, the 2nd place of 2010 Society of American Musicians (SAM) Piano Competition, 2nd place of 2010 and 2011 Sejong Music Competitions, and the first Alternate for 2011 Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) piano competition.
Roger has made frequent public appearances, including performances at Weill Hall of the Carnegie Hall twice, Chicago Cultural Center, the 2010 International Conference on Clinical Excellence as a guest performer (invited to perform and be interviewed for one of the conference events), and Hawaii Convention Center. He attended the International Institute of Young Artists (IIYM) 2011 summer camp, and was selected to perform in two IIYM honor recitals. Roger is also active in his community. He performed several times for the Parisian Salon Concert at Northbrook library, participated in and was selected as one of the three finalists of the Northbrook’s 1st Talent Showdown competition, and performed in 2011 Northbrook’s AutumnFest. He also performed for the seniors at 2011 Northfield Seniors Center Holiday Party.
Program:
Prokofiev: Sonata in D Minor, Op.14, No.2
IV. Vivace
J.S. Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Book II, Prelude 7 & Fugue 7, E-Flat Major
Mozart: Sonata in B flat Major, K281, No. 17,
III. Allegro
Chopin: Etude in C Major, Op.10, No.1
Chopin: Etude in A Minor, Op.10, No.2
Beethoven, Sonata in C major, Op. 53, No. 21 “Waldstein”
III. Rondo
Chopin, Ballade in A flat Major, Op. 47, No.3
Amazing work Roger! Your dedication and aim for perfection are an inspiration to us all.
Thank you, David for highlighting such an amazing young artist who possesses great talent not just in playing but also understanding the pieces and articulating an impressive interpretation. Roger’s mention of one of Chopin’s pieces being symbolic of an epic poem and comparing it to the character of Aeneas was very interesting and thought provoking.
Roger Shen will go far if he continues this route. I look forward to hearing him at Symphony Hall someday
Thanks David for introducing such young talent to this show. Classical music still lives on, even with people younger than I am!
I was totally over whelmed by your performance. I will look forward to listening to your work at Synphony Hall!
Thank you for sharing your great gifts with us.
Marybeth
Thank you all for your comments! It was a pleasure to have him in the studio and we look forward to following his future successes.
Dear Roger,
I enjoyed your performance this evening more than any other I’ve heard on the radio in a long time. Your playing was interesting, and musical, and artistically cohesive. (I’ve spent decades listening to many performances every week, by the way, including at Eastman and Juilliard, and am somewhat particular in my preferences.) It was pretty much beside the point that you are ONLY IN SEVENTH GRADE, but this just gives us so much hope about what we’ll hear from you in the future. Great job! Thanks for sharing your artistry with us.
Dear Dr. Elliott:
I am so happy you like my performance. Thank you!
Roger