LI PEI

VIOLIN

Violinist, Director of the Orchestral Department at Sichuan Conservatory of Music, National First-Class Performer, and former Concertmaster of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the Presidium of the String Society of the Chinese Musicians’ Association, Vice President of the Chamber Music Society of the Chinese Musicians’ Association, and Deputy Director of the Violin Professional Committee of the Shanghai Musicians’ Association.

As an outstanding violinist and concertmaster, over nearly 30 years of performing career, his performances have taken him across North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and other parts of the world. He has successfully collaborated with many world-renowned conductors and soloists, such as Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Charles Dutoit, Myung-Whun Chung, Yu Long, Zhang Guoyong, Martha Argerich, Yo-Yo Ma, Frank Peter Zimmermann, and Wang Jian, earning high recognition and praise from these masters.

Li Pei regularly presents solo and chamber music concerts each year, with a wide-ranging repertoire that includes the complete Beethoven and Brahms sonatas as well as numerous virtuosic works. He has performed concertos with various conductors and collaborated in duo performances with the concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic.

In 2013, the Shanghai Quartet he founded recorded an album that was named “Classical Recording of the Year.” In 2014, his recording of Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 9 and the Franck Sonata won a “Top Ten Audiophile Recordings of the Year” award. From 2018 to 2023, as concertmaster, he collaborated with Deutsche Grammophon (DG) to record several albums.

In addition to his busy performance schedule, Li Pei has devoted significant effort to teaching over the years. As a member of the Expert Committee of the Shanghai Orchestra Academy and a graduate advisor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, he has trained many young talents for both the school and society. Many of his students have won awards in major domestic and international competitions, joined renowned orchestras, or been admitted to top music institutions such as Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, and the Royal Academy of Music in the UK.

Li Pei is also actively engaged in academic activities. In 2015, he was invited to serve as a jury member of the POSTACCHINI International Violin Competition in Italy. In the same year, he was also invited to be a jury member for the violin finals of the 10th China Golden Bell Awards for Music. In August 2021, he served as a jury member of the Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition, among others.