our founders

A sophomore at Stanford University, Richelle has expanded SAPA’s outreach to the Bay Area, working closely with students in East Palo Alto to increase access to collaborative piano accompaniment and music education opportunities. Since 2026, she has also led SAPA’s Drum Circle Initiative along with the rest of the leadership team, using music as a tool to promote cognitive stimulation, sustained attention, motor coordination, and meaningful social interaction.

A formally trained pianist under Sylvia Wang, Richelle is a National YoungArts Winner, a national finalist in both piano and woodwind performance for the Music Teachers National Association Competition (MTNA), and the winner of 11 national young artist concerto competitions.

Rosabelle Shi is a freshman at Adlai E. Stevenson High School and Co-Founder of SAPA, where she also created the Piano Duet Initiative. Through collaborative music-making, she seeks to foster musical connection, emotional regulation, and strengthened focus among young musicians and community participants.

Rosabelle studies both piano solo and piano duet under Sylvia Wang. She is a winner of the national Steinway Piano Competition, a two-time national finalist in piano duet performance for the Music Teachers National Association Competition (MTNA), and the winner of numerous international piano duet competitions. As a member of Rosalina Duo, Rosabelle brings her collaborative artistry and passion for shared musical experiences to SAPA’s mission of connection and community engagement through music.