“Dr. Shen tells Chinese stories with his international musical language beautifully” – Sohu Music.

Dr. Duo Shen, associate conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony — a historic role held by only two individuals in the orchestra’s 95-year history — will be joining the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Conductor for the 2025–26 season.

During his three seasons with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Shen curated and conducted over 90 performances, spanning masterworks and chamber concert series, family and educational concerts, film/pop productions and run-out concerts. His 2024–25 season highlights included a subscription debut at DeVos Performance Hall with double bass virtuoso Joseph Conyers that was praised for its artistry and energy.

Shen has served as assistant conductor to esteemed conductors such as Marcelo Lehninger, JoAnn Falletta, Carlos Kalmar, Vinay Parameswaran, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Ruth Reinhardt, Tianyi Lu, Nicholas McGegan, David Robertson and Robert Spano. In 2022, immediately upon graduation, he was hired as a staff conductor at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he served as prep-conductor and cover conductor for guest artists while also leading subscription concerts. Additionally, Shen has been a cover conductor for the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.

Shen’s conducting mentors include Vinay Parameswaran, Carlos Kalmar, JoAnn Falletta, Marcelo Lehninger, Carl Topilow and Michael Jinbo. He has collaborated with orchestras such as the Grand Rapids Symphony, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra, CIM Orchestra, New Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria) and Pazardjik Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria). Known for reimagining classical works in projects like “A New Imagination of Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony” and “A Day with Symphony” at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, he has earned praise for the projects’ accessibility and creativity. Local Spins lauded him as “passionate” and “a talented individual.”

Shen holds a professional studies diploma in orchestral conducting from CIM, a Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin from the University of Maryland, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Delaware.

Updated July 2025