FangFang Shi Inouye
Dr. FangFang Shi Inouye was born into a musician’s family in Beijing, China. She began her first piano lesson with her mother at the age of four. Even through her childhood music education was sporadic, her first public piano solo performance was at age eleven.
At age 18, Dr. Shi immigrated to the United State, successively she earned her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music Degrees at University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, Majoring in Piano Performance. After a few years of teaching at CSU Dominguez Hills and Cerritos College, Dr. Shi went back to USC where she earned her Doctor of Musical Art degree in piano performance on a scholarship at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, under the tutelage of Professor Norman Krieger in Piano, minoring in Music Education with Shiela Woodward, Theory Analysis with Robert Moore and Conducting with Larry Livingston.
Among many accolades and honors, Dr. Shi was the Phi Beta Piano Scholarship as well as the William H. Phillips and Beatrice C Music Scholarship winner. In March 2013, as the first place winner in the USC Thornton School of Music Concerto Competition, Dr. Shi collaborated as a soloist with the USC Thornton Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of Maestro Carl St. Clair (Music Director of Pacific Symphony) performing Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1. In the same year, Dr. Shi collaborated with the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra as a winner in its Adult Concerto Competition performing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1. In 2015, Dr. Shi made her debut at the Carnegie Hall Weill’s Hall as the first place winner in the American International Protégé Competition for Piano and Strings. On the basis of the superior professional and scholastic achievements, Dr. Shi has been invited to the membership of the PI KAPPA LAMBDA National Music Honor Society. Dr. Shi’s research paper "Realizing Goals in Memorization" has been published internationally by ISME (International Society of Music Education) and was invited to give a presentation at the ISME conference in Beijing, China 2010. Dr. Shi has performed nationally and internationally; her live performance has been broadcast on KUSC radio station. In recognition of dedicated service to the affairs of the community and for the civic pride demonstrated by numerous contributions for the benefit of all the citizens of Los Angeles County, Dr. Shi received commendation by the County of Los Angeles.
As an educator, Dr. Shi’s students have won numerous local piano competitions, including SYMF Young Artist division, MTAC state Solo and Concerto competition, Fuller ton Ensemble Festival, Southern California Junior Bach Festival.
Currently, Dr. Shi is an adjunct faculty member at Cerritos College and Long Beach City College in the Los Angeles Area.