About Us

Hello! We are Sophia and Annabel Shen, twin sisters and co-founders of Music in Us. Starting piano when we were five, picking up the oboe at nine, and discovering the bassoon at thirteen, music has always been a major part of our lives and who we are. The two of us have been so fortunate to have had the opportunity and the support to pursue our musical journeys and to learn from great teachers, whether it was through youth orchestras, summer festivals, or now at Juilliard Pre-College. After meeting with Ms. Cao Xiaoxia, the founder of the Shanghai City Orchestra, and spending a lot of time with the autistic children of the Shanghai Angel's Music Salon, we realized that there was so much more to be done with music aside from just playing it. There, we were awe-struck by all of the volunteer musicians' patience and hard work in teaching children with autism how to play instruments. Playing alongside those children, one would think that they didn't have autism. When we talked to those children, they eagerly responded and seemed so happy. Through learning music, they started listening, speaking, and observing the people and the world around them, using music as a form of communication. It was then that we decided to bring more of that happiness to children who didn't have access to music. So we asked ourselves: if music can break down the barriers of autism, how can we take our music and do even more for those around us? We truly believe that music is meant to be shared and that it’s our turn to do more for our community with the music we have. We want to show everyone around us the power of music to reach deep within all people around the world. We don’t have to speak the same language or be from the same background, but we all speak and feel music.