Yundi Li

Li Yundi (simplified Chinese: 李云迪; traditional Chinese: 李雲迪; pinyin: Lǐ Yúndí) (born October 7, 1982) is a Chinese classical pianist. He is also popularly known as Yundi and formerly Yundi Li. Born in Chongqing, Li is most well known for being the youngest pianist to win the International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition, in 2000, at the age of 18. He currently resides in Beijing. His father, Li Chuan, and his mother, Zhang Xiaolu, were both workers for the Sichuan Chongqing Steel and Iron Company. Although coming from a family of non-musicians, Li took to music early. When he was three years old, his parents bought him an accordion after he became so entranced by an accordion player in a shopping mall that he refused to leave. He mastered the instrument by the age of four, studying with Tan Jianmin, a music professor in China. Only one year later, he won the top prize at the Chongqing Children's Accordion Competition. Li began studying piano at the age of seven. Two years later, his teacher introduced him to Dan Zhaoyi, one of China's most renowned piano teachers, with whom he would study for nine years. Li's ambition was to become a professional pianist. In 1994, he entered the Shenzhen Arts School, Shenzhen, China. He later studied at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover in Hanover, Germany. Li has received top awards at various competitions. He won the Children's Piano Competition in Beijing in 1994. In 1995, he was awarded first place at the Stravinsky International Youth Competition. In 1998, he won the 1998 Missouri Southern International Piano Competition (Junior Division). The next year, he took Third Prize at the International Franz Liszt Piano Competition of Utrecht, as well as being a major winner in the China International Piano Competition. He also won first place at the Gina Bachauer Young Artists International Piano Competition. In October 2000, at the urging of the Chinese Culture Ministry, Li participated in the 14th International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. He was the first participant to be awarded First Prize in 15 years. At 18 years of age, he was the youngest winner—and the first Chinese—in the competition's history. Li was given the "Polonaise award" by the Chopin Society for his performance at the competition. Soon after, Li sought out pianist Arie Vardi as an instructor, and therefore left his parents' home to live and study at a music school in Hannover, Germany ("Hochschule für Musik und Theater"). Li's debut in the United States took place in June 2003 at Carnegie Hall, as part of Steinway and Sons' 150th Anniversary Gala. His United States concerto debut took place the next month, when he performed Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1. He was also honoured at a special reception at the home of the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, where he performed for various officials of the U.S. State Department. Returning back to Carnegie Hall, Li will tour in 2015 with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States, as a featured soloist. The tour will begin at Carnegie Hall, then the orchestra will travel to Beijing, where Li currently resides, and continue on a seven city tour of China ending in Hong Kong. Li's second recording of Liszt for Deutsche Grammophon, for whom he exclusively recorded until November 2008, was released in August 2003 and was named "Best CD of the Year" by the New York Times. His third recording, comprising Chopin's four Scherzi and three Impromptus, was released in late 2004. He is scheduled to release a recording of Beethoven sonatas in late 2012 for Deutsche Grammophon. He has also given a recital in the renowned Musikverein in Vienna, performing works by Mozart, Scarlatti, Schumann, and Liszt. Li obtained Hong Kong residency in November 2006 under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, among the first batch of people to do so under the scheme. Li is the subject of a 2008 feature-length documentary, The Young Romantic: Yundi Li, directed by Barbara Willis Sweete. He appeared as a Pennington Great Performers series artist with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, also in 2008. In January 2010, Li signed an exclusive recording contract with EMI Classics with plans to record the complete works for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin. Li performed a solo recital at the Royal Festival Hall in London on March 16, 2010. He played a repertoire of Chopin pieces to a sold-out audience. Chopin Chopin Recital CD |D|D|D| 4714792 Franz Liszt CD |D|D|D| 471 585–2 SACD |D|D|D| 474 2972 Awards: Echo Award 2003 Chopin: Scherzo & Impromptus SACD |D|D|D| 474 8782 CD |D|D|D| 474 5162 Vienna Recital CD |D|D|D| 477 557–1 |G|H| Chopin & Liszt Piano Concerto No.1 CD |D|D|D| 00289 477 6402 |G|H| Yundi – The Young Romantic DVD 3079058 EuroArts/Ideale Audience Yundi's Beethoven Sonata Album