Alan Shen founded the Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra in 1999 with a vision of sharing fun, musically inspiring concerts at prices affordable to anyone. Since then, the symphony has performed over 40 concerts to audiences exceeding 500 attendees.

Like most musicians in PSSO, classical music is not Alan’s formal profession. He majored in Computer Engineering at the University of Washington and currently manages a consulting team at a local start up called Unify Square. But classical music has always been an important part of Alan’s life. He started piano lesson at age 4 and violin lessons at age 8, playing in school orchestras, youth symphonies and local adjudications. In high school, Alan served as the concertmaster of the Tacoma Youth symphony and competed at the Washington State student solo competition, placing 2nd on violin and 2nd on piano.

He also enjoys racket sports, construction projects, and earning airline miles. Despite its time demands, conducting PSSO continues to be a highlight. Alan is deeply grateful for the continuing contributions made by PSSO musicians, board, volunteers and the community.