Jonathan Shih 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 WIPAC competition, where he received special awards for “Best Classical Performance” and “Most Imaginative Programming”. When not at the piano, Jonathan works as a product designer at a small startup and enjoys cooking, traveling, and collecting other hobbies.

“A teacher once told me ‘You’re a smart kid. But your playing is terribly dull.’ I hope that you will find my music anything but.”