Teacher Profile: Bernard Sheng

About Bernard Sheng

Bernard Sheng is a Violinist and Music Educator with over 15 years of experience with strings, as well as Piano. Born into a musical family, Bernard began his studies with his father throughout his childhood and leading up to his university studies.

For college, Bernard attended Carnegie Mellon University to pursue a degree in music, and he studied Violin under William van der Sloot. There, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance. After Carnegie Mellon, Bernard continued his musical training in Boston with Lynn Chang and Peter Zazofsky.

As a performer, Bernard has been recognized as the winner of numerous competitions, including 1st Place at the Satori Strings Violin Competition, MTAC Piano Classical Theme Festival (2019), and Regional Honors at the Southern California Piano Bach Festival (2018–2019). He also earned Certificates of Merit at the Advanced Level in both Violin and Piano, placing in several MTAC solo competitions. In 2016, he was featured in the World Journal for his achievements and performed as a violin soloist at the Jiangsu Grand Theatre in China.

Bernard has attended summer festivals such as Meadowmount, Green Mountain, and Orford Musique, performing in masterclasses with renowned artists including Karen Gomyo, Nurit Bar-Josef, Gerardo Ribeiro, Bayla Keyes, and members of the Emerson String Quartet, Balourdet Quartet, and Juilliard String Quartet.

Most recently, Bernard served as a First Violinist with the Boston Civic Symphony for the 2024–2025 season.

Now based in Arlington, VA, Bernard teaches Violin and Piano privately, working with students of all levels to build strong fundamentals, musical confidence, and healthy technique. He believes in a holistic approach to learning an instrument, whether Violin, or Piano, and strives to help his students set and achieve their musical goals. But along the way, he hopes to help others find joy in the mastery experience of learning an instrument and conquering new challenges.