Connie Kim-Sheng Fried was born into a life of music. Her father, Zhong-Xin Sheng, is a respected violinist, teacher, and luthier in Los Angeles, while her late uncle, Zhongguo Sheng, along with much of her father’s family, are significant figures in violin performance and pedagogy in China. Her mother, Juli Kim, ran a successful private piano studio for decades, giving Connie daily lessons from the age of three. Under her mother’s patient guidance, Connie’s musical foundation was established, and by age eleven, John Perry accepted her into his private studio despite her young age.

At twelve, Connie made her solo concert debut and has since performed throughout the U.S. and internationally in countries such as Canada, China, Spain, Poland, Germany, and Australia. She has been featured on NPR’s From the Top and attended the prestigious Morningside Music Bridge program. During high school, Connie was awarded the Davidson Fellows Scholarship, supporting her advanced musical studies.

At fifteen, she became a prizewinner at her first major international competition, the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition, and made her orchestral debut performing Prokofiev’s First Piano Concerto. Connie has since performed with orchestras such as the YMF Debut Orchestra, Northridge Orchestra, Rio Hondo Symphony, and Verde Valley Sinfonietta. She has earned top prizes at numerous competitions, including the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, Bronislaw Kaper Awards, where she performed Mozart’s Double Concerto at Disney Hall, the Knigge Music Competition, and the New Orleans International Piano Competition for Young Artists. She was also the winner of The Glenn Gould School’s Concerto Competition, where she performed Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, conducted by Johannes Debus at Koerner Hall.

As an experienced chamber musician, Connie has attended prestigious festivals such as Ravinia Steans Institute, Kneisel Hall, Aspen, Orford, and Sarasota, working with renowned artists like Leon Fleisher, Seymour Lipkin, Julian Martin, and Arie Vardi. In 2020, she was one of a select few pianists invited to participate in a masterclass with Kristian Bezuidenhout at Carnegie Hall, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Connie is a founding member of the Monterey Piano Trio, performing alongside her husband, Ben Fried, and violinist Strauss Shi. Within months of forming, the trio performed as an Ensemble-in-Residence at the Heifetz Institute.

Connie earned her bachelor’s degree from The Glenn Gould School under John Perry and pursued graduate studies at the New England Conservatory with Hung-Kuan Chen and Meng-Chieh Liu. She is completing her doctorate at the USC Thornton School of Music under Jeffrey Kahane, while also studying conducting and harpsichord performance with Larry Livingston and Lucinda Carver.

In addition to her performing career, Connie is a passionate pedagogue, dedicated to nurturing young talent. Her teaching emphasizes the integration of technique, control, and artistic expression. Her students have performed at Pasadena’s Westerbeck Hall and Carnegie’s Weill Hall, and have won top prizes at competitions like Satori and SYMF. Recently, Connie and Ben co-founded Fried Music, a creative space and music school in Alhambra designed to inspire students of all levels. The school also expanded to house an intimate performance space and serves as a vibrant musical center within the community. Connie also serves as co-director of Junior Chamber Music’s Los Angeles Branch, alongside cellist Stella Cho.