LA Phil Names Teng Li Principal Viola

Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic have announced the appointment of Teng Li to the post of Principal Viola. Li assumes her duties in August 2018, during the Hollywood Bowl season. She comes to Los Angeles from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, where she served as principal violist since 2004.

"We are very pleased to welcome Teng Li to the Los Angeles Philharmonic family," said Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel. "Her remarkable artistry and well demonstrated talent make her a perfect fit for the orchestra and I'm especially looking forward to working with her as we embark upon our Centennial season."

"I'm looking forward to exploring new creative territory with the Los Angeles Philharmonic," Li says of her new position. "I really admire the musicians and work they're doing - it's an incredibly innovative ensemble."

Teng Li is a diverse and dynamic performer internationally. Along with her many solo appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO), Li has performed with the National Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Rosa Symphony, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Haddonfield Symphony, Shanghai Opera Orchestra, the Canadian Sinfonietta, and Esprit Orchestra. Her performances have been broadcast on CBC Radio 2 (Canada), National Public Radio (NPR), WQXR (New York), WHYY (Philadelphia), WFMT (Chicago), and Bavarian Radio (Munich).

Li is also an active recitalist and chamber musician participating in the festivals of Marlboro, Santa Fe, Mostly Mozart, Music from Angel Fire, Rome, Moritzburg (Germany), and the Evnin Rising Stars in Caramoor, NY. She has performed with the Guarneri Quartet in New York (04/05), at Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall), and with the 92nd St. "Y" Chamber Music Society. Teng was also featured with the Guarneri Quartet in their last season (2009) and was a member of the prestigious Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society Two Program. She is a member of the Rosamunde Quartet (led by Noah Bendix-Balgley, concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic) and the Toronto-based Trio Arkel.

Li has won top prizes at the Johanson International and the Holland-America Music Society competitions, the Primrose International Viola Competition, the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, and the ARD International Music Competition in Munich, Germany. She was also a winner of the Astral Artistic Services 2003 National Auditions.

Her discography includes a solo CD entitled 1939 - with violinist Benjamin Bowman and pianist Meng-Chieh Liu (Azica) - and many Toronto Symphony credits, most recently their Vaughan Williams disc featuring Teng performing Flos campi (Chandos).

Teng is a graduate of the Central Conservatory in Beijing, China, and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.