Sinyan Shen

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Sinyan Shen (Chinese: 沈星扬; born November 12, 1949 - died November 7, 2016) was a Singaporean physicist^[1] and classical composer.^[2]

Born in Singapore to the parents of Shanghai background, Sinyan Shen studied music at a very early age and mastered the vertical fiddle family of instruments. His dual career in music and physics culminated in the development of cultural acoustics, a discipline addressing scientifically the cultural molding of our ears and brain to music. Shen's life work centered on the essence of music.

Shen, who lived in Illinois, taught cultural acoustics at Northwestern University and Harvard University. He was a music director of the Silk and Bamboo Ensemble and the Chinese Classical Orchestra. Both ensembles toured internationally under the auspices of the Chinese Music Society of North America, but have not performed publicly since 2006. Shen was an editor of the international journal Chinese Music, music authority for the Encyclopædia Britannica, and a Fulbright Scholar. He served as a technical advisor for the Shanghai Musical Instrument Factory. He died in Palo Alto, California at the age of 67, several years after suffering a debilitating stroke.[1]

Shen's works include A Tune of Southern Anhui and Moon over the Western Water (for silk and bamboo ensemble), Lily Blossoms Crimson and Bright (for Chinese classical orchestra), and The Stream (vocal). He is the author of What Makes Chinese Music Chinese?, Foundations of the Chinese Orchestra, Acoustics of Ancient Chinese Bells, Chinese Music and Orchestration: A Primer on Principles and Practice, and China: A Journey Into Its Musical Arts and Chinese Musical Instruments.

Orchestral works performed or recorded by Shen Sinyan:

• Sinyan Shen official site
• Gateway to The Chinese Classical Orchestra