Piano
Competitive classical performance developed through sustained study, recital preparation, and appearances at Carnegie Hall.
Performing Arts & Storytelling Portfolio
Jianrui
Shaw
Senior · The Lawrenceville School · Class of 2027
I am a pianist, vocalist, saxophonist, theatre performer, and documentary storyteller—connecting people through performance, culture, and lived experience.
Artistic Profile
A voice shaped across disciplines.
My work spans classical piano, saxophone, theatre, vocal performance, documentary filmmaking, and the study of Asian culture. Across each form, I am drawn to the same essential act: listening closely, interpreting thoughtfully, and giving a story its clearest expression.
Years of performance and cultural inquiry have developed not only my technique, but also my confidence to communicate across languages, communities, and artistic traditions.
Performance Practice
Many stages.
One artistic voice.
From solo recital to collaborative ensemble, I find that each discipline asks for a different kind of attention—precision, responsiveness, presence, and trust.
Theatre & Voice
Stage and ensemble performance as a practice of character, collaboration, courage, and direct connection with an audience.
Saxophone
Tenor and alto saxophone across jazz, marching, district, and county ensembles, balancing individual expression with collective sound.
Asian Culture
An interdisciplinary interest in language, social customs, architectural traditions, and the historical forces that shape cultural identity.
Featured Theatre Production · 2024
Mary Poppins JR.
Selected scenes featuring Jianrui Shaw as George Banks in Tohickon Players’ production of Mary Poppins JR., Tohickon Middle School, March 8, 2024.
Featured Theatre Production · 2025
Les Misérables
Selected scenes featuring Jianrui as Bishop Myriel and Grantaire in The Lawrenceville School’s production.
Theatre & Voice
Bishop Myriel
Selected scenes featuring Jianrui Shaw as Bishop Myriel.
Theatre & Voice
Grantaire, an ABC Café Student
Selected scenes featuring Jianrui Shaw as Grantaire.
Featured Theatre Production · 2026
The Secret Garden
Three selected songs highlighting Jianrui’s vocal performance and portrayal of Archibald Craven.
Vocal Performance
Race You to the Top of Morning
Jianrui Shaw as Archibald Craven.
Vocal Performance
A Bit of Earth
Jianrui Shaw as Archibald Craven.
Vocal Performance
A Girl in the Valley
Jianrui Shaw as Archibald Craven.
Community Performances
Music in service of connection.
Vocal and instrumental performances presented through Harmony for Hope charity concerts.
Vocal Solo
Stars from Les Misérables
Performed by Jianrui Shaw at the Harmony for Hope Charity Concert.
Saxophone Collaboration
Conversations for Two Saxophones
A collaborative saxophone performance presented at the Harmony for Hope International Charity Concert.
Crescendo International Music Competition
More than twelve years of musical growth.
I began studying piano at age four. My long-term practice has grown through repertoire, competition, recital performance, and an international community of young musicians.
7First Place awards
1Second Place award
8Years performing at Carnegie Hall
5Consecutive ISEP selections
2019–2026
Competition & Carnegie Hall
Seven First Place finishes and one Second Place finish, with performances through the winners’ recital program.
2022–2026
International Exchange
Selected for five consecutive years for Crescendo’s International Student Exchange Program.
BEYOND THE RECITAL
Learning Across Cultures
International recitals, master classes, lectures, historic places, and exchanges with student musicians from around the world.
Piano Solo
Romance
Jianrui Shaw performs Romance by Franz Liszt.
Piano Solo
Valse Sentimentale
Jianrui Shaw performs Valse Sentimentale.
Documentary Storytelling
Listening as an art form.
I extend my performance practice behind the camera, using research, voice, image, and personal testimony to preserve histories and make overlooked experiences visible.
Academic · Grade 11 · National History Day 2026
Black Panthers
Working with a classmate as a co-documentary filmmaker and researcher, I created a ten-minute Senior Division documentary examining the historical significance and legacy of the Black Panther Party. We combined primary and secondary research, archival imagery, music, and original narration to advance a clear historical argument.
Regional Winner · State Competitor · NJ Amistad Commission Special Award
Penn Asian Senior Services · Grade 12
Immigrant lives, told in their own voices.
I am developing a story-driven documentary that invites Asian older adults to share their immigrant journeys, the challenges of adapting to life in the United States, and the ways culturally responsive centers such as PASSi foster connection, support, and belonging.
I aim to center trust, culturally sensitive storytelling, and the dignity of each participant’s own narrative.
2026 NHD · Senior Documentary Division
Black Panthers
A ten-minute documentary combining historical research, archival imagery, music, and recorded narration to present an argument about the Black Panther Party and its legacy.
2023 NHD Documentary
A Bomb – The Manhattan Project
An earlier National History Day documentary exploring the Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb.
Asian Culture & Heritage
Understanding culture through language, place, and time.
I explore Asian cultural history as a connected story, asking how societies preserve identity while adapting across generations. My self-directed inquiry links the spoken and built worlds—from architecture and customs to language, pronunciation, written characters, and cuisine—and traces how these traditions changed across Chinese dynasties and influenced Korea and Japan.
My favorite architectural periods: the Han and Song dynasties.
Language, Pronunciation & Characters
Exploring how spoken forms, pronunciation, vocabulary, and written characters developed across historical periods.
Customs & Cuisine
Considering how clothing, rituals, everyday customs, ingredients, and food traditions evolved over time.
Architectural History
Tracing how temples, residences, civic spaces, and urban forms reflect changing beliefs, technologies, and social structures.
Influence Across East Asia
Examining how Chinese architecture, language, customs, and material culture influenced Korea and Japan while being adapted into distinct local traditions.
Independent Visual Study Notes
Architecture and customs across dynasties.
These informal, self-directed sketches record Jianrui’s observations and comparisons of rooflines, structural forms, color, clothing, and customs across periods of Chinese history.
Selected Recognition
Milestones
2026
NJ Amistad Commission National History Day Special Award
Recognized for an outstanding documentary and oral presentation at the New Jersey state competition.
2019–26
Crescendo International Music Competition
Seven First Place awards, one Second Place award, and performances at Carnegie Hall.
2022–26
International Student Exchange Program
Selected for five consecutive years of international performance, master classes, and cultural exchange.