Cynthia Yih Shih (born October 3, 1978), better known by her stage name Vienna Teng, is an American pianist and singer-songwriter who lives in Washington, DC. Teng has released five studio albums: ''
Waking Hour'' (2002), ''
Warm Strangers
''Warm Strangers'' is singer-songwriter Vienna Teng's second album.
Track listing
#Feather Moon – 4:06
#Harbor – 4:24
#Hope on Fire – 4:26
#Shine – 2:39
#Mission Street – 4:32
#My Medea – 4:09
#Shasta (Carrie's Song) – 3:29
#Hom ...
'' (2004), ''
Dreaming Through the Noise'' (2006), ''
Inland Territory'' (2009) and ''
Aims'' (2013). She has also released one live album, ''The Moment Always Vanishing'' (2009), on which she is double-billed with her percussionist,
Alex Wong.
Teng's musical style incorporates
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk horror
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Fo ...
, pop, classical piano, and ''
a cappella
Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
''.
Early life, education, and early career
A native of
Saratoga, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Located in Silicon Valley, in the southern Bay Area, it had a population of 31,051 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Saratoga is known for its wineries, restaurant ...
, she began playing
classical piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
at the age of five. Both her parents came from
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. She was
salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given in Armenia, the Philippines, Canada, Afghanistan and the United States to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. ...
at
Saratoga High School. In 1996, while pursuing a degree in
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...
at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, Teng joined the
Stanford Harmonics, a student-run ''a cappella'' group.
She began recording her compositions at the studios in Stanford's
Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), intending to distribute her music on campus.
Many of these recordings were eventually released in her début album ''Waking Hour''.
After graduating in 2000,
Teng worked as a software engineer for
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, m ...
in San Jose, but she continued to write music and perform in her free time.
In 2002, Teng signed with
Virt Records and quit Cisco Systems to focus on her musical career. After graduating from the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
in 2013 with master's degrees in science and business administration, she worked at
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...
full-time in the area of renewable energy.
Career
''Waking Hour'' and ''Warm Strangers''
Teng's first major national exposure was on
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
's ''
Weekend Edition
''Weekend Edition'' is a set of American radio news magazine programs produced and distributed by National Public Radio ( NPR). It is the weekend counterpart to the NPR radio program ''Morning Edition''. It consists of ''Weekend Edition Saturday ...
'' in January 2003, followed shortly thereafter by
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
's ''
Late Show with David Letterman
''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
.'' She has since made appearances on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
Saturday ''
Early Show
''The Early Show'' is an American morning television show that aired on CBS from November 1, 1999, to January 7, 2012, replacing the original incarnation of ''CBS This Morning'', and the ninth attempt at a morning news-talk program by the net ...
'',
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
's ''
NewsNight with Aaron Brown
''CNN NewsNight'' is a live news program which airs on the CNN and CNN International networks. It airs at 10:00 PM ET on weeknights and is currently hosted by Abby Phillip.
During its first run, the show focused on investigative journalis ...
'' and ''
The Wayne Brady Show'', and opened concerts for
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...
,
Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin (born Shawna Lee Colvin, January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1997 Grammy Award-winning song "Sunny Came Home".
Early life
Colvin was born Shawna Lee Colvin in Vermillion, South Dakota, and ...
,
Joan Osborne
Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...
,
India.Arie,
Brandi Carlile
Brandi Marie Carlile (born June 1, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Her music spans different genres, including folk rock, alternative country, Americana, and classic rock. Throughout her career, she has received eleven Gramm ...
,
Sarah Harmer and
Marc Cohn
Marc Craig Cohn (; born July 5, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1992. Cohn is best known for the song " Walking in Memphis", from his 1991 album '' Marc Cohn'', which was a To ...
. Although nearly all of Teng's recordings are in English, ''Warm Strangers'' features a
hidden cover of "
Green Island Serenade "Green Island Serenade" (; also known as "Serenade of Green Island") is a Standard Mandarin, Mandarin Chinese classic song composed in 1954 by Chow Lan-ping (). It was composed for the soundtrack for a film. It was later performed by Zi Wei (紫薇) ...
", a 1950s Taiwanese classic performed in
Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...
.
''Dreaming Through the Noise''
In 2006, Teng signed with
Zoë/Rounder.
From December 2006 to early 2007, Teng toured extensively in the United States to promote the release of her third album, ''Dreaming Through the Noise''. Teng co-headlined with
Duncan Sheik
Duncan Sheik (born November 18, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Sheik is known for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing", which earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. He has com ...
and opened for
Madeleine Peyroux
Madeleine Peyroux (born April 19, 1974) is an American jazz singer and songwriter who began her career as a teenager on the streets of Paris. She sang vintage jazz and blues songs before finding mainstream success in 2004 when her album ''Carele ...
. She began the Green Caravan Tour in April 2007, accompanied by cellist Marika Hughes, violinist Dina Maccabee, and percussionist
Alex Wong, along with opening acts such as
David Berkeley
David Berkeley (born David Berkeley Friedland, September 22, 1976) is an American singer and songwriter.
He has released eight studio albums, one live album and has published two books, all of them self-produced under the ''Straw Man'' label, i ...
and
Jenny Owen Youngs
Jenny Owen Youngs (born November 22, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released four albums and a handful of EPs both independently and via Nettwerk Records, and has toured worldwide. Youngs is also a songwriting collaborator whose ...
. She performed a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
's "
Idioteque
"Idioteque" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, released on their fourth album, ''Kid A'' (2000). Radiohead developed it while experimenting with modular synthesisers. It contains samples of two 1970s computer music compositions.
"I ...
" during this time. In 2008, she relocated from California to New York City, and performed in
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...
on
Earth Day
Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network) includin ...
at the
Green Apple Festival.
''Inland Territory'' and study at the University of Michigan
Her fourth album, ''Inland Territory,'' was released in 2009. Teng stated that the lyrics to "Grandmother Song" from ''Inland Territory'' are nearly a verbatim translation of a lecture that Teng received from her Mandarin-speaking grandmother, voicing her disapproval of Teng's career choice.
In 2010, Teng announced to her fans that she had been accepted into the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
.
Through the program, she received an MBA from the
Ross School of Business
The University of Michigan Ross School of Business (branded as Michigan Ross) is the business school of the University of Michigan, a Public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The school was originally established ...
and an
MS from the
School of Natural Resources and Environment. During this period, Teng moved to
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
, where she continued to perform and compose music, although she did not tour as frequently as she had before enrolling. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2013, she worked at
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...
full-time in the area of renewable energy.
''Aims''
Teng's fifth studio album, titled ''
Aims'', was inspired by Detroit and released in September 2013. From September to December 2013 Teng went on a tour across the United States and Western Europe to promote the new material. During this tour, she performed as a trio with Alex Wong and Jordan Hamlin, two other musicians who appeared on the album. The album was released in a standard edition and in deluxe edition sold through Teng's website.
Personal life
By 2018, Teng was living in
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...
.
She currently lives in Washington, DC.
In early 2019, Teng announced her marriage to Jacob Corvidae. Their daughter, Arcadia, was born in February 2020. Additionally, Teng is a step-parent to Corvidae's two children from a previous relationship.
Discography
* ''Waking Hour'' (2001)
* ''
Waking Hour'' (2002)
* ''
Warm Strangers
''Warm Strangers'' is singer-songwriter Vienna Teng's second album.
Track listing
#Feather Moon – 4:06
#Harbor – 4:24
#Hope on Fire – 4:26
#Shine – 2:39
#Mission Street – 4:32
#My Medea – 4:09
#Shasta (Carrie's Song) – 3:29
#Hom ...
'' (2004)
* ''
Dreaming Through the Noise'' (2006)
* ''
Inland Territory'' (2009)
* ''The Moment Always Vanishing'' (2009) – live with Alex Wong
* ''
Aims'' (2013)
* ''The Fourth Messenger'' (2015) – with Tanya Shaffer
References
External links
*
Vienna Teng collectionat the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
's live music archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teng, Vienna
1978 births
21st-century American women pianists
21st-century American pianists
American women singer-songwriters
American musicians of Taiwanese descent
American women musicians of Chinese descent
American women pop singers
Living people
People from Saratoga, California
Ross School of Business alumni
Singer-songwriters from California
Stanford University alumni
Zoë Records artists
21st-century American women singers
University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment alumni
Cisco people
McKinsey & Company people
American software engineers
21st-century American singer-songwriters