about

Jonathan Shih is a pianist-composer based in Seattle. He began his piano studies with various Chicago-area teachers (most notably Emilio del Rosario), and continued briefly at Northwestern University under James Giles (including a live performance on 98.7 WFMT) before a minor hand injury and recession-induced career introspection led him to forgo piano for an engineering degree. After a decade-long hiatus due to work travel, he resumed playing and now studies with Peter Mack. Jonathan won first prize in the 2025 Oberlin International Adult Amateur Piano Competition and placed third in the 2026 Boston International Piano Competition. He was also a finalist in the 2024 and 2026 Washington International Piano Artists Competitions. He performs regularly in the Seattle area, and played the first movement of Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the New Horizons Symphony at New Mexico State University. When not at the piano, Jonathan works as a product designer at a small startup and enjoys cooking, traveling, and collecting other hobbies.