Ory Shihor’s Student Testimonials
“Ory is very attentive to Lucas as both a pianist and an intellectual scholar. For music education, Ory not only teaches techniques at their highest standard but also explores together with Lucas on different ways to create beautiful sounds. Ory does not “force” a curriculum but carefully manages lessons to guide Lucas, affording him both great freedom and solid stepping in carving his own path to progress. In the short 3 years, Lucas has made tremendous progress as a pianist, with the recent honor of becoming a 2022 YoungArts Award Winner and acceptance to Juilliard! We recommend Ory most enthusiastically to young artists who thrive on the excellence of learning and who are passionate about pursuing their lifetime dreams.”
Lucas Sha 17yo - Acceptance to Juilliard BM in Piano Performance and Brown University
“Studying with Mr. Shihor not only has allowed me to pursue my dreams, but also changed my life. His ever-growing attention to style, precision, and delicacy has brought to my music colors that I would have never imagined if it were not for his unprecedented teaching. I cannot thank Mr. Shihor enough for the 9 years of guiding me and my music and for making it possible for me to get accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music!”
Ray Ushikubo 16yo - Acceptance to Curtis and Juilliard BM in Piano Performance with full scholarship
“It’s very hard to explain with words how grateful I am to Mr. Shihor for the past 4 years studying with him. His unconditional belief in the student’s abilities and his commitment to make the most of those abilities no matter what it takes. Often he believed in me more than I did myself, and kept demanding and encouraging the highest level in pieces without exception. He can justify that belief because he knows how to make that potential a reality through extraordinary attention to detail, ear and musical intuition. The most remarkable thing which I’ve noticed, however, is his ability to point out exactly the things that I need but that I’m not yet hearing in the music, to let that piece develop to a next level that I could not imagine before the lesson, and that sometimes I was not even aiming for to start with, because I didn’t know it was possible for me. I just didn’t know how to reach that level and he helped me every time without fail. If I look back to those 4 years in a bigger scale I can see how much Mr. Shihor has helped me find and develop my technique, my ear and my musical and pianistic personality.”
Albert Cano Smit 20yo - Acceptance to Juilliard and Yale MM in Piano Performance with full scholarship
“Three years of study with Mr. Shihor has totally changed my understanding and increased my love of music dramatically. He patiently guides me with his wonderful musical ideas and concepts. The improvements and achievements I made during these three years are way beyond my imagination. It is truly an amazing experience studying with Mr.Shihor. Without his teaching and guidance, it’d not be possible for me to get accepted into my dream school, Juilliard. I am extremely thankful to him for all the work and effort he has done for me.”
Jimmy Shen 17yo - Acceptance to Juilliard BM in Piano Performance with scholarship
“I started taking lessons with Mr. Shihor about 3 years ago and am eternally grateful because I have grown tremendously. This September, I will be attending the Royal Academy of Music with a full scholarship! One of my biggest insecurities when I first started studying with Mr. Shihor, was my technique. Within my first lesson, he already corrected the way I sat at the piano which changed the amount and the quality of sound I produced. Mr. Shihor pushed me to learn a lot of repertoire, without over stressing me. He has helped me reach my full potential through support and honesty. Mr. Shihor is such a positive force, I have never feared that he would be angry with how I played. Disappointed? Yes, but I strongly believe that is important to one’s growth. I never want to disappoint him with my playing; when you have a teacher that is effectively doing their job, you want to do nothing less than pleasing them. They don’t have to yell at you or be mean to you to get you to practice because if they are doing it right, you will naturally want to meet their standards. Studying with Mr. Shihor has opened so many opportunities for me, has helped me find the sound I want to create, has raised my confidence in my playing, and has shown that I am capable. I am so thankful for Mr. Shihor.”
Millicent McFall 17yo - Acceptance to Royal Academy of Music (UK) BM in Piano Performance with full scholarship
“Mr. Shihor has never failed to bring out the best in me. His endless support and tremendous details to music helped me understand, feel, and hear music in a whole other level. He helped me get accepted into multiple top music conservatories including NEC and Peabody which I was offered a large scholarship. I wouldn’t be able to go this far without Mr. Shihor!”
Gabriella Handoko 18yo - Acceptance to Peabody and New England Conservatory BM in Piano Performance with scholarship
“I still can’t believe I’m actually graduating and how much I’ve grown in these 4 years, especially during this audition-prep journey. The improvements I made as a pianist are definitely beyond my imagination and I’m truly grateful for all of Mr. Shihor’s guidance and support.”
Yuman Lucy Xu 18yo - Acceptance to Manhattan School of Music BM in Piano Performance
“I came in with a weak background in piano and never thought that I would improve so much within 1 year! Thank you Ory for being such a patient and detail-oriented teacher! My techniques would have never gotten better without your help.”
Irene Li - Acceptance to Manhattan School of Music MM in Piano Performance
“Mr. Shihor is a wonderful, warm and understanding teacher. I definitely feel improvements in my playing, especially enhancement in my confidence as a musician. Before I moved to CA and started my lesson with Mr. Shihor, I was studying in Moscow, where I’ve always had very strict and cold teachers and developed extreme anxiety playing in front of people. Mr. Shihor was able to generate a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere, where, a little by little, I came out of my shell and now have no problems playing in public! In addition, Mr. Shihor was very helpful with my college application including pre-screening video recordings and advising regarding schools and teachers. With Mr. Shihor’s guidance and mentorship, I got accepted t o all of the schools I’ve auditioned for! I’ve also received scholarships covering 75%-80% of the tuition! I am very grateful that I had an opportunity to study with such a great teacher!”
Kamilla Bendersky - Acceptance to Boston University BM in Piano Performance
“After my first few lessons with professor Shihor, I started noticing major changes in my practice and performance. Furthermore, I was growing more confident with each concert I played. I decided to apply to graduate school and knew that studying with professor Shihor would be the best way for me to feel comfortable and confident with the audition process.”
Claire Yeo - Acceptance to San Francisco Conservatory of Music, MM in Piano Performance
Studio Location: San Jose, CA
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