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Meet the Musicians

Q&A with Pianist George Li

Pianist George Li will make his MinnOrch debut performing Liszt. | © Simon Fowler

At just 29, American pianist George Li has already spent close to two decades on the concert stage. The Boston native began keyboard studies at four, made his public debut at 10, and at 15, performed for President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House Rose Garden in 2011. Four years later Li earned a silver medal at the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow—becoming the first American to win a medal since 1990—and now regularly performs with orchestras across the world.

Li will make his Minnesota Orchestra debut with performances of Franz Liszt’s mighty First Piano Concerto on January 31 and February 1. As we prepare to welcome Li to Orchestra Hall for the first time, we asked him some questions about his life both on stage and away from the keyboard.

When you make a debut in a new city with a new orchestra, how much sight-seeing do you build into your itinerary?

I try to take walks when I'm in a new city, especially when the weather is really nice. It depends on how long I stay during the week—if it's less than four days, then I'm mostly just commuting between the hall and my hotel. But if I have some free days, I try to find museums or parks to sightsee and get a feel for the culture. And of course, I look up good places to eat as well beforehand!

What was it like performing for President Obama at the White House in 2011?

It was an unforgettable experience, one of those moments that you take snapshots of in your mind as a core memory. The thing I remember most was how humane President Obama was, while maintaining such an incredible presence of authority and grace. He commented that I was wearing a pretty fly tux, but all I remember was stammering and staring at him with my mouth gaped open in partial disbelief. Playing in the Rose Garden wasn't too bad either!

 

Video: Tiny desk, big sound: in 2018, Li was invited to perform a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR.

You started your performing career very young. Does performing now feel different than performing then? 

Definitely! I think with all the years of experience I've been lucky to have, it's helped me deal with feelings of anxiety and adrenaline over time. The more control you can have over it, the more you can savor the moments of magic that can be created live onstage and to really live in that space or moment in time when you're in dialogue with the conductor/orchestra, the composer, and the audience at the same time.

Your biography mentions that you’re a sports fanatic...who are you cheering on these days? 

I'm born and raised in Boston, so I'm lucky to have lived through some incredible sports moments through the Celtics, Red Sox and Patriots! But nowadays I'm an avid soccer fan—I follow Arsenal from the English Premier League. 

 

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Snag your tickets to hear Li grace the keys with MinnOrch!

 

TICKETS