Yuqi Li

Yuqi Li is currently a full-time tenured violinist of the Oregon Symphony in Portland, Oregon.

Born in China, Yuqi Li began her musical education at the age of six. She graduated from Shanghai Conservatory of Music with her bachelor’s degree, and received full scholarship at the Yale School of Music, where she earned her Master of Music degree. In 2018, Ms.Li came to USC Thornton School of Music studying with Los Angeles Philharmonic Associate Concertmaster Bing Wang while she was pursuing a graduate certificate.

Given recitals throughout Asia, North America and Europe, Ms. Li’s most recent performance was her solo debut as the winner of Montclair Concerto Competition, where she was invited to perform Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor. Ms. Li has won a variety of awards, including 2018 National Classics Alive Artists Auditions Division A Finalist; the first prize of Concerto Competition in Montclair; the third prize of Violin Chinese Contemporary New Works Competition in Shanghai Conservatory of Music; the “Excellence Prize” of the third International Violin Master Class & Violin Sonata Competition in Shanghai. She was recently chosen as a winner of a Special Award at the Fourth Manhattan International Music Competition with a Silver Medal in the summer of 2019. Her major music festival appearances include Aspen Music Festival and School, Pacific Music Festival, Asian Youth Orchestra, the Pablo Casals Festival and the Festival Art and Peace Master Class.

As a passionate chamber musician, Ms.Li has been working with the Shanghai Quartet and Brentano Quartet throughout her career. She has also performed as the 1st violinist with her string quartet in the Pablo Casals Festival (France) and Red Rocks Festival Winter Chamber Music Institute. As an active orchestra musician, Ms. Li has been playing in the New Haven Symphony Orchestra for two seasons and has appeared in ensembles and orchestra performances at venues including Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara and Suntory Hall, among others.

Ms. Li is currently based in Oregon and Washington areas, and is enjoying her time playing with the Oregon Symphony as well as teaching students of all ages and levels in-person and online.

Teaching Philosophy:
Talents are often undervalued without appropriate methods and professional guidance. My role as a violin educator is to discover the potential of individuals from all ages and levels, and assist them to accomplish their goals, whether it is to become a professional musician or a passionate music hobbyist. I believe that teaching approaches should always fit students’ personal needs and learning experiences, since every student has their own characters, strengths, and learning pace. In my violin lessons, demonstration of playing is crucial and effective to give my students a more intuitive image of playing, and help them better understand the problems we are working on.

Learn more about me: www.violinistyuqili.com