George Li, piano at Soka Performing Arts Center

PROGRAM

SCHUMANN: Abegg Variations, Op. 1

SCHUMANN: Davidsbündlertänze (Dances of the League of David)

DEBUSSY: Images, Book 1

MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition

GEORGE LI, piano

Praised by the Washington Post for combining “staggering technical prowess, a sense of command and depth of expression,” pianist George Li has earned international acclaim for performances that unite virtuosity with intellectual curiosity, poetic imagination, and expressive depth. At the center of his artistry is a search for the dramatic and emotional architecture within every work, informed by a belief that musical interpretation begins with a close reading of the score.

Since winning the Silver Medal at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Li has rapidly established a major international reputation and performs regularly with some of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, such as Dudamel, Gaffigan, Gergiev, Gimeno, Honeck, Orozco-Estrada, Petrenko, Robertson, Pintscher, Slatkin, Temirkanov, Tilson Thomas, Long Yu, and Xian Zhang.

Highlights of the 2026–27 season include return engagements with the Kansas City, Rogue Valley, New Jersey, Utah, and Seattle Symphonies and the Boston Philharmonic, as well as debuts with Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música in Portugal and Solistes Européens Luxembourg. His recital schedule includes appearances in Cupertino and Aliso Viejo, California, and in fall 2026 he joins the Houston Ballet for Sons de L’âme in Costa Mesa.

Since his success at the Tchaikovsky Competition, Li has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the New York, Los Angeles, London, Rotterdam, Oslo, and St. Petersburg Philharmonics; the Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Montreal, Houston, Nashville, Sydney, and Tokyo symphony orchestras; and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestre National de Lyon, and Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège. International tours have included performances with the Mariinsky Orchestra throughout Europe, the United States, and Russia, the Moscow Philharmonic in Germany, and the Asian Youth Orchestra across China, Japan, and Hong Kong.

As a recitalist, Li approaches each program as a carefully considered artistic journey rather than a succession of individual works. Influenced by his background in English literature, he is drawn to uncovering the relationships, dramatic tensions, and expressive threads that connect works across composers, styles, and eras. His programs seek to reveal fresh perspectives on familiar repertoire while inviting audiences into a broader musical narrative. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, the Mariinsky Theatre, the Louvre, Davies Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, Seoul Arts Center, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Shanghai Poly Theatre, and other major venues throughout Europe and Asia. Festival appearances include the Edinburgh International Festival, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival, Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence, and the Montreux Festival. An active chamber musician, he has collaborated with Benjamin Beilman, Noah Bendix-Balgley, James Ehnes, Daniel Hope, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Kian Soltani, and the Dover and Brentano Quartets.

Li records for Warner Classics. His debut recital album, recorded live at the Mariinsky Theatre, was released in 2017, winning the Opus Klassik award for Soloist Recording of the Year. His second recording paired Liszt’s solo works with Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, recorded live with Vasily Petrenko and the London Philharmonic, and was released in 2019. His third album with the label, Movements, was released in the summer of 2024 to critical acclaim and includes solo dance suites by Schumann, Ravel, and Stravinsky.

Li gave his first public performance at Boston’s Steinway Hall at the age of ten and, in 2011, performed for President Barack Obama at the White House during an evening honoring Chancellor Angela Merkel. His honors include the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Gilmore Young Artist Award, and First Prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. A graduate of Harvard University and the New England Conservatory, Li studied English literature alongside music while pursuing a longstanding mentorship with Wha Kyung Byun, whose influence shaped his thoughtful and deeply considered approach to musical interpretation. Outside of music, Li enjoys reading, photography, and following sports.