Celebrate the Chinese New Year with the students of the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra. The program features Spring Festival Overture, Shanghai Overture and the beautiful Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto with Wanzhen Li, violin. Admission is free – no ticket required.

RSYO students tell the history and fun facts about the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, Spring Festival Overture and Shanghai Overture!

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 Meet Wanzhen Li, violin

Born in Xi’an, China, violinist Wanzhen Li has been described as “Li established a sense of nostalgia …that provided a framework for the musical journey. Her tone seemed to cry. It was great playing; fun to hear.” (The Boston Globe). Ms. Li has appeared as a soloist with the Binghamton Philharmonic (NewYork), Guilford Symphony (North Carolina), Grosse Point Symphony (Michigan) and Interlochen Arts
Academy Orchestra. She won first prizes in the Detroit Bohemians, the Eastern Music Festival, and the Interlochen Arts Academy Concerto Competitions. This summer, she was invited as a performer, and violin faculty at Eastern Music Festival in Wu Han, China. In January, Ms. Li was invited by ItzhakPerlman to perform a solo recital at The Kristy and James H. Clark Arts Center, as part of the Perlman Music Program’s Alumni recital series. Last season, Ms. Li soloed with Xi’an Symphony Orchestra (China), and serves as their guest concertmaster. Ms. Li performs frequently with violinist Itzhak Perlman and has accompanied him to Israel, Florida, and Vermont for residencies with the Perlman Music Program. She also performs frequently with ensembles such as the New York Chamber Soloist and the New York Classical Players. As a soloist and chamber musician, she performed in venues including, Rose Hall of Lincoln Center, Peter J. Sharp Theater, The Metropolitan Museum, Alice Tully Hall, Hunter College in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Florida, Chicago Symphony Hall, Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Vermont, Princeton University, and Tel Aviv University.

In past seasons, Ms. Li has performed in venues such as solo recitals at the New England Conservatory of
Music, chamber music performance at Stowe Residency with the Perlman’s program. In 2012, She was
invited by pianist Lars Vogt to the chamber music festival of “Spannungen: Musik im Krafwerk
Heimbach” in Germany, where she collaborated with renowned violinist Christian Tetzlaff, cellist Alban
Gerhardt, Gustav Rivinius, Tanja Tetzlaff, among others. Her live performance was recorded and released
by Avi-Music record label.

An active chamber musician, Ms. Li was invited to festivals including Yellow Barn, Kneisel Hall, The
Perlman Chamber Music Program. She also appeared on the First Monday Series at Jordan Hall, Boston,
by invitation of cellist Laurence Lesser. Ms. Li has shared the stage with many of the world’s celebrated
artists including Anthony Marwood, Paul Katz, Peter Frankl, members of the Juilliard String Quartet, the
Peabody Trio, the Cavani Quartet, and musicians from the New York Philharmonic. Her solo and
chamber performances have also been broadcast on German radio “Deutschlandfunk”and IPRInterlochen
public radio.

During her studies, Ms. Li led both the Juilliard Orchestra, and New England Conservatory Philharmonia
as the concertmaster, for performances under the batons of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Nicholas
McGegan, Anne Manson, Benjamin Zander, Yu Feng, at venues including Boston’s Jordan Hall, New
York’s Alice Tully Hall, Peter J. Sharp Theater, and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts.
Ms. Li started playing the violin at age 4, studying with her parents, who are both professional violinists.
Aged 14, she left to come to the USA studying at the Interlochen Arts Academy with Hal Grossman. As
a Jerome L. Greene Fellow, Ms. Li went on to study at the Juilliard School learning under Ronald Copes
and Donald Weilerstein, and recently graduated from New England Conservatory in Boston. She has also
been mentored by Itzhak Perlman.

Ms. Li plays on a 1756 Gennaro Gagliano violin generously on loan to her from a private collector in
Michigan. She resides in New York City.