The Workshop

In the year 2000 Ms Dan Shen created a voice workshop open to all members of Cantemus. The main tasks of the workshop are to help the individual singers as well as the whole choir to adapt their voices to the varied repertoire, and to give the choir a homogeneous sound. Furthermore, our workshop has been able to develop the voices of the individual singers so as to allow them to sing solo parts.

Dan Shen

Dan Shen studied voice at the University Conservatory in Shanghai, where she received her diploma in 1984. She moved to Italy in 1991, where she followed courses with Gino Bechi. She studied vocal chamber music with Prof. M. Hayward and Prof. S. Doz at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Milan and received her diploma with best marks.

In August 1997 she won the 3rd prize at the 24th edition of the International Competition of Chamber Music “Palma d’Oro” in Finale Ligure. In 1998 she won the 4th prize at the “Bellini International Vocal Competition” in Ragusa-Ibla and in 1999 the 1st prize in the section Lieder at the International Competition “Angelica Catalani” in Corinaldo.

In April 1999 she was invited by the “Ibla International Music Foundation” to hold various concerts at the Weil Recital Hall (Carnegie Hall), at Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo (New York University) and at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.

In May 1999 she took part at the 100th anniversary of F. Poulenc’s birth organized by the “G. Verdi” Conservatory and the Centre Culturel Français in Milan.

In November of 1999 she performed Mozart’s Requiem with Milan’s Mozart Orchestra at Vigevano Cathedral and at the S. Maria del Carmine Church in Milan. In January 2000 she performed the Concert Aria K 416 by W.A. Mozart at the Teatro delle Erbe in Milan together with the Mozart Orchestra.

At the Easter Festival 2000 at the Accademia di S. Cecilia in Rome she took part in the performance of Leonardo Leo’s S. Elena al Calvario with the “Europa Galante” Ensemble directed by Fabio Biondi.

She performed the part of Apollo at the world premiere recording of Gluck’s Il Parnaso Confuso for the label Agorà.

In 1998 she founded a duo with the pianist Luigi Marzola.