Zheng player Yashi Li serves on the faculty of the art college of Huazhong University of Science and Technology School of Arts. She has previously taught at the Wuhan Conservatory of Music and the Affiliated Elementary School of the China Conservatory of Music. A graduate of the China Conservatory of Music, she studied under contemporary zheng artist Qiu Ji and young zheng player Hu Jing. She also received guidance from prominent zheng masters such as Lin Ling, Wu Qing, and Li Bian, a representative of the Henan zheng school.
As a performer, she has been entrusted by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Chinese embassies abroad to perform in countries such as the United States, Hungary, the Republic of North Macedonia, and Latvia. She has left her musical footprint in renowned concert halls at home and abroad, including Carnegie Hall, the Church of Saint Sophia in Ohrid, the Great Guild Concert Hall in Latvia, the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Zhongshan Concert Hall, Tianjin Concert Hall, and Qintai Grand Theatre. She has premiered multiple works, including the zheng solo Echoes, the zheng duet The Pillow Path, and the Chinese orchestral work Pursuing Dreams.
This concert features a repertoire that includes both traditional and contemporary zheng works. The traditional pieces represent ancient melodies from various regions across China, showcasing the diversity of musical styles from the north, south, east, and west. The contemporary works were carefully selected to present a variety of styles and interpretations.
Live at St. Paul’s Chapel — or, watch on YouTube.
If you don’t have a current Columbia ID, you MUST register by clicking the blue "register" button below. (Please do not use the same email address to register multiple people; this will confuse the system.) Registration will close at 11am sharp the day before the concert.