Sheng Cai, 20, was born in China and moved to Canada in 1999. He has been a finalist and special prize winner at Bosendorfer International and Hilton Head International piano competitions in the US and winner of Toronto and Montreal Symphony Competitions in Canada. He has performed with numerous orchestras, including the Shanghai Opera Symphony, Atlantic Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Quebec Symphony, and Calgary Philharmonic. He previously studied with Julian Martin at the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School and with Anton Kuerti in Canada. Sheng is one of the pianists invited to take part in a documentary film by Ophra Yerushalmi on the life and music of the composer Franz Liszt.