Chen Li

Chen Li began studying music at the age of five and earned two master’s degrees from the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He studied under renowned teachers including Xidi Shen, Nian Liu, Thomas Selditz, and Likuo Chang.

He was awarded 3rd place in the National Viola Competition in Beijing (2007) and 1st place in the first Shanghai Conservatory of Music Viola Competition (2007).

Li served as Associate Principal Viola of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra from 2012 to 2018 and was a faculty member of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy.

As a member of the Global Orchestra Project of the New York Philharmonic, he was invited by Alan Gilbert, former Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, to perform three concerts at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, in June 2017.

In 2019, Li moved to the United States for further studies with Likuo Chang, former Acting Principal Viola of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Later that year, he secured a tenure-section viola position with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

From 2021 to 2025, he was Principal Viola of the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra.