Rockport Chamber Music Festival
Thursday, June 23, 8 PM
GEORGE LI, piano
Praised by the Washington Post for combining “staggering technical prowess, a sense of command and depth of expression,” pianist George Li possesses brilliant virtuosity and effortless grace far beyond his years. This year’s Silver Medal winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition and First Prize Winner in the 2010 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Mr. Li has also captured First Prize at the inaugural Cooper Competition at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, First Prize at the XIVe Concours International “Grand Prix Animato 2014” in Paris, as well as Third Prize and the Best Sonata Performance at the 2015 National Chopin Competition, as well as numerous others.
He made his Alice Tully Hall debut in 2014, performing the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. As a concerto soloist, he has also appeared in recital and with several symphonies throughout North America, Europe and Asia. In 2011, Mr. Li performed for President Obama at the White House in an evening honoring Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as for members of US Congress at the Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.
George Li gave his first public performance at Boston’s Steinway Hall at the age of ten. While attending the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, he studied piano with Wha Kyung Byun at the New England Conservatory. He is currently in the Harvard University/ New England Conservatory joint program, continuing his studies with Wha Kyung Byun.
“Li’s performance left no doubt that he combines staggering technical prowess, a sense of command, and depth of expression.” The Washington Post
“What is astonishing, setting aside impeccable technique, is Li’s instinctive assimilation of style. He plays like a great pianist at the apogeic intersection of middle-aged vigor and the wisdom of maturity.” Boston Musical Intelligencer
“…a powerhouse. I have seldom heard the many blazing octave passages…played faster or more cleanly, let along both at the same time.” The New York Times
PROGRAM
HAYDN: Sonata in B minor, Hob.XVI:32
CHOPIN: Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35
RACHMANINOFF: Variations on a Theme by Corelli
LISZT: Consolation No. 3 in D-flat major
LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor
Tickets: $61, $56, $45 (fees may apply)
