#sandiegosymphony
Yeh Shen has been a violinist with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra since 2012 and a regular substitute violinist with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra since 2015. Previously, he was a tenured first violinist with the Houston Symphony Orchestra and a long-time substitute violinist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has also served as Concertmaster of the AAC Orchestra at the Aspen Music Festival and Acting Associate Principal Second Violin of the San Diego Symphony.
As an orchestral musician, Yeh Shen has performed on multiple Grammy-nominated and winning recordings and played on the world’s most prestigious concert stages under legendary conductors, including Blomstedt, Boulez, Dohnányi, Dudamel, Dutoit, Eschenbach, Mehta, Tilson Thomas, Ozawa, Rattle and Salonen.
Beyond his career as an orchestral violinist, Yeh Shen is an accomplished orchestral conductor, having studied with Christoph Eschenbach, David Zinman and Leonard Slatkin. While performing with the Houston Symphony (1997–2001), he also conducted various chamber ensembles within the orchestra. He later served as Music Director of the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra (2003–2005) and has conducted renowned ensembles such as the Cleveland Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, Oregon Symphony and Singapore Symphony. He was awarded the Aspen Conducting Fellowship for three consecutive years (2000–2003) and received the 2002 Geraldine C. & Emory M. Ford Award for American Conductors. In 2003, he was selected by the American Symphony League to make his professional debut with the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center. He has also shared the podium with Christoph Eschenbach, leading Sinfonietta Cracovia in Poland.
In addition to his musical pursuits, Yeh Shen is passionate about technology-driven music education. He has designed interactive mobile apps and holds U.S. patents for innovations that help introduce classical music to wider audiences, integrating it into brain fitness exercises.
Born in Hunan, China, Yeh Shen began violin studies at age eight under the guidance of his musician parents. By 11, he had entered the Shanghai Conservatory, and by 12, he was already performing as a soloist on national radio and television. Chosen by the Chinese Cultural Ministry, he performed for legendary violinists Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern.
He later immigrated to the United States for his college education, earning a Bachelor of Music degree and an Advanced Performer’s Certificate from the Peabody Institute of Music, Johns Hopkins University. His principal teachers included David Cerone, Fredell Lack, Earl Carlyss, Sylvia Rosenberg and Berl Senofsky. Yeh Shen has won prizes in violin competitions in both China and the U.S., performed as a soloist and chamber musician, and appeared on television and radio programs.
Q: What are three of your favorite tunes or pieces in your iPod or mp3 or CD collection?
A: Several years ago, a close childhood friend of mine in the Chicago Symphonyinvited me to her wedding. Daniel Barenboim was among the invited guests and he played several Chopin Nocturnes and Preludes for us on a really bad hotel piano that desperately needed some tuning. Yet, the beautiful feeling he conveyed was just remarkable and unforgettable and that was the only time I heard him playing piano in person. Since then, for some reason, his album of Chopin Nocturnes is the only piano music on my iPod and I listen to it most frequently, even though I do have a huge CD collection of piano recordings of many other legendary pianists.
Q: What are three of your favorite movies?
A: I love all kinds of movies and there are so many amazing ones. If I am forced to pick three favorites, I would have to go with Schindler's List, The Last Emperor and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Q: The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is essential to San Diego because…?
A: Every great city with international fame has great arts & culture institutions with tremendous civic pride. San Diego is one of the most beautiful international cities in the world, and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra is the city’s most prestigious organization that we can all be proud of.
Q: The non-musical accomplishment you are most proud of is…?
A: My cousin and I designed and programmed a free memory game for iPhone called "Mozart Brain," and there were well over 30,000 users worldwide who downloaded the game between 2009 and 2010 without any promotion by us!
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