Praised for her ¨impressive virtuosic and musical
playing〃, cellist SIFEI WEN is a young, professional
musician whose artistry is recognized by awards and
audiences. Her experience as recitalist, orchestra soloist
and chamber musician include live televised performance
on the internationally televised program, the Hour of
Power as well as radio broadcasts on K-Mozart and in
China. Sifeiˇs mature and expressive playing and
beautiful tone has led music authorities to praise her as "a
most talented and promising cellist".
Successes in competitions include top prizes in numerous
competitions in the USA and China, including the Annual
USC Thornton School of Music Strings Concerto
Competition, 25th Kingsville International Young
Performers Competition for Bowed Instruments (including
the Rosemary Scales Violoncello Prize, the Senior
Munguia Bach Prize for outstanding performance of an
unaccompanied movement by J.S. Bach, the Senior Solo
Contest for Bowed Instrument, the Senior Concerto
Contest for Bowed Instrument, performance at the Festival
de San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and the Final Concerto
Competition), the Young Musicians Foundation sponsored
51st Annual National Debut Concerto Competition, the
Torrance Symphony Young Artists Concerto Competition
(Senior), the Rotary Club sponsored Dan Stover Memorial
Music Scholarship Competitions, the Gregor Piatigorsky
Memorial Cello Scholarships awarded by the Young
Musicians Foundation, the Peninsula Symphony
sponsored Edith Knox Concerto Performance
Competition, the National American String Teachers
Association Solo Competition (Junior), the Music
Teachers' Association of California sponsored VOCE Solo
State Competition (Senior and Intermediate Strings), the
Pacific Symphony Chinese-American League Showcase
Competition for Young Musicians (Junior), the Los
Angeles Violoncello Society Scholarship Auditions, the
MTNA-CAPMT Concerto Competition, the 4th National
Violoncello Competition in China, the Concerto
competitions sponsored by the Peninsula Symphony, the
Culver City/Marina del Rey/Westchester Symphony
(Intermediate) and the Brentwood/ Westwood Symphony
Orchestra (Senior).
Born in Shanghai, China, Sifei is currently a scholarship
student at the USC Thornton School of Music, major in
cello and studying with Professor Eleonore Schoenfeld,
Piatigorsky chair and Chairman of the String Department.
She is also studying chamber music with Professors Alice
and Eleonore Schoenfeld.
Sifei is one of the most impressive cellists to emerge from
the new generation, combining Russian-style virtuosity
with the introspection, poetry and subtle color associated
with her native China. Her goal is to share the beautiful
musical fabric that she creates with audiences throughout
the world.
