Shelby Wong, 23, began her piano studies at the age of 4, and her violin studies at age 7.  She gave her first public performance at the age of 4 and played at the International Young Musician Concert in Cambridge, England when she was 8 years old. In her pre-college years, she attended the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), and served as concertmaster in the OCSA Symphony Orchestra before bypassing her senior year of high school to enter college one year early. Shelby holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and returned for a Masters of Music degree that she finished in May 2022. She also completed a Business Law minor in her undergrad from the USC Marshall School of Business, and was pronounced a Renaissance Scholar for her achievements in both fields. Currently pursuing a Doctoral of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from USC Thornton, she studies with Professor Kevin Fitz-Gerald and serves as a Teaching Assistant in the Keyboard Studies Department. Shelby has performed at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, and has also appeared on international concert stages in France, Italy, Germany, Vienna, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and China.

In addition to her academic and musical pursuits, Shelby is an active leader within her school’s music community. She currently oversees the Music Teachers National Association USC Collegiate Chapter in the role of Chapter President. Previously, she also served as the President of USC’s Student Symphony Orchestra, an organization dedicated to integrating music and non-music majors together to form meaningful connections through music-making. Shelby has held positions as Thornton Student Ambassador Leader, as well as Graduate Keyboard Studies Representative of the inaugural Thornton Student Council. She was featured in several outreach campaigns, including USC Thornton’s ReDesign of their music curriculum, termed “The New Classical.” She has also appeared as a guest artist for the South Coast Symphony’s online video series “Unstuffy and Unstoppable”.

Shelby is a passionate educator, and is currently teaching privately at the FreshStart music studio in Irvine, CA. She also works with the Thornton Community Engagement program to expand music outreach efforts to neighboring elementary schools.