Yibin Li 李艺彬
Chinese-born violinist Yibin Li has been playing violin since she was just 4 years old. She has appeared as soloist and chamber musician in the United States, Europe and China. In addition to performance, Li is a passionate educator; she regularly gives master classes in many institutions around the world. Her nonprofit organization OneMusic Project seeks to bring extraordinary international artists together to play chamber music in intimate settings.
Ms. Li's remarkable journey—overcoming significant obstacles to pursue her father’s dream for the future in post-Cultural Revolution China—was featured in a 2022 episode of This American Life.
Ms. Li has performed as a soloist with Beijing National Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Kaohsiung Symphony Orchestra in China and extensively as a chamber musician in New York and Europe. Li was the Co-founder and the violinist of the Iris Quartet for 12 years. Later on, she founded OneMusic Project, a nonprofit organization in New York City to promote chamber music education and performance.
Her group, OneMusic International Ensemble, brings a fresh mixture of program and interesting music dialogue to the audience with star members like Philippe Muller, Christophe Giovaninetti and Pierre-Henri Xuereb. Ms. Li has directed and programmed concerts at the Merkin Hall, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, the Polish Culture Center, Opera America and the Scandinavia House, New York City. She toured major cities in China. Festival appearances include Bowdoin International Music Festival, Bach Virtuosi, Red Rocks Chamber Music Festival, Sesto Roche Chamber Music Festival (Italy), Lake Lugano Chamber Festival (Switzerland), LaSalle Summer Festival (France).
Extending her performance experience to acting, she starred in Parisian theater director Irina Book’s theatrical piece, La Vie Matérielle, and Shakespeare’s Sisters Premiering in 2010 at the French Institute Alliance Francaise in New York City, the piece later enjoyed months, sold-out runs at La MaMa Theater, New York and in France.
Ms. Li recorded multiple CDs for China Record music publisher. These recordings include the Bach Violin Concertos in A Minor and E Major, and the Mozart Violin Concerto in G Major. She also premiered and recorded the "Honghu" violin concerto by Chinese composer Zhanhao He with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
Li is a violin faculty at Mannes School of Music, The New School, The Juilliard School, Pre-College Division, and a visiting professor at Xi'an Conservatory of Music and Beijing Central University for Normal Studies.
Ms. Li earned a graduate diploma from The Juilliard School, MM degree from Mannes School of Music and a BM degree from Shanghai Conservatory of Music where she also served as a violin faculty for 6 years upon graduation. Her teachers include Lewis Kaplan, Earl Carlys, Seymour Lipkin, Peiwen Yuan and her father Qing Li.
She lives in New York City with her husband, her daughter, and her cat Mimi.