Meet Shu Wen Tay

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shu Wen Tay. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Shu Wen with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

Growing up with the Singaporean culture and society, I was taught that hard work and consistent effort was something that would eventually pay off. Observing that work ethic in process and in real time through my parents, seniors and peers influenced me in understanding how it worked.
One of my many brilliant mentors who I’ve been honoured to meet and learn from made me realise the importance of working smart with this consistent effort.
Of course, with music, it is ultimately difficult to know when such hard work pays off, but patience is key.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

For the most part of the day, I am a Doctoral Candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance at the Stony Brook University. Professionally, I am a classical pianist who performs widely in Europe, US and Singapore in solo and chamber/ collaborative settings.

As I am writing this, I’m waiting for my flight to Barcelona, where I’ll be taking part in the 70th Maria Canals Piano Competition. Performing for audiences is always an adventure for me – I learn so much about myself, as well as what my audiences are listening and appreciating.

I’ve always been very taken and enamoured with classical music, especially in the ways that different personalities, characters, moods, atmospheres and emotions can be portrayed and reflected so clearly with just changes in rhythm, texture, instrumentation and contours of melodies, to name a few. Listening to other musicians perform is an inspiring and invigorating experience – from their interpretative choices, I learn so much about their musical priorities and personal beliefs. This is the main reason why I fell in love with playing chamber music and performing – it is incredibly special to have a conversation through music with my friends, peers, and mentors – one can never truly know for sure what the other will do or say with their part, especially in spontaneous moments, so one can only listen, react and adapt to form something incredibly magical and special in the moment.

Hence, it is my great pleasure to be co-artistic director for a new chamber music initiative and festival, SPIRITUS on Long Island, NY, which would serve audiences in Suffolk County and beyond. Through this, my colleagues and I hope to bring the intimacy of chamber music-making closer to communities on Long Island.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Always be willing to learn – put your ego aside and listen to what others have to say

There’s always going to be differing opinions within a group of people. What’s important is considering the perspectives of others, respecting that and being open-minded to change. While having strong personal opinions is a great first step in crafting your artistic vision and identity, it’s also really important to be flexible and be open to listening what others have to say.

2. Never give up

It’s never easy being at the beginning of one’s career, and less so being a budding artist/ musician. There are always so many rejections when applying for things, and it’s important to not get bogged down by those. I believe that resilience is key here – bounce back and come back even stronger the next time.

3. Plan wisely and work smart

There are always so many things to do and to prepare for at the beginning of one’s career. Figure out your priorities; have a plan and work smart. It’s never foolish to ask for help or advice from a mentor or a friend – it’s better to “fail” or have a misstep earlier on, rather than during the actual important event.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I’ve always been one for holistic development and working particularly on areas that I feel deficient in.

It’s never easy confronting challenges and admitting “weakness” or insufficiencies in areas of work, but it is exactly through pinpointing those that one is finally able to improve and better hone one’s skills.

As a musician, at the beginning of the journey, there is so much to learn and to work on in our playing. If one were to ignore areas of trouble or difficulty, one would never be able to perform to the highest level. Through my undergrad music studies in Singapore at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, I specifically focused on areas of my playing which I thought were not stable, consistent, yet varied and imaginative. In making myself uncomfortable, I learnt how to be more comfortable and became increasingly better in things I was not as great at. Pushing myself out of my comfort zones has always been something I constantly seek in improving my musicianship, because through that, I learn so much and it is so worth it once I’ve conquered the problem.

Actually, before going into music full-time in my undergraduate studies, I never spent that much time practicing my instrument. In fact, I spent a lot of my time studying for my A Levels – memorising chemistry equations, understanding physics, writing essays, practicing mathematics questions and also doing lots of music theory and analysis. This was a hugely holistic education, with a focus on a broad variety of subjects. This is incredibly different from how my serious musician friends grew up, but through these experiences, I felt that I learnt so much problem-solving techniques that I continue to apply till today…so this really reflects how much I value being well-rounded.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Headshots (credit to Joy Chen)
Performance pictures (Kevin Kyaw)

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