Young Piano Talents

Mr. Fan Li was born into a musical family and began his piano studies at the age of six under the guidance of his mother and Professor Yang Hanguo. At thirteen, he joined the military as a cultural performer, beginning his musical stage career. In 1982, he graduated with highest honors from Sichuan Conservatory with a Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance and remained at the conservatory as a piano faculty member.

He continued his studies at Shanghai Conservatory under Professor Li Ruixing and was selected as the only piano performance graduate student admitted nationally that year. Under the guidance of Professor Zhang Junwei, he earned his Master's degree in Piano Performance with highest honors. In 1988, he joined the piano faculty at Sichuan Conservatory.

In 1990, Mr. Li came to the United States to pursue advanced studies at Longy School of Music in Boston, studying with the school's president, renowned pianist Victor Rosenbaum. Two years later, he earned his Artist Certificate with distinction.

In 1988, the China Central Orchestra presented a solo recital for Mr. Li at Beijing Concert Hall, China's premier venue at the time. This concert was included in the orchestra's 45th anniversary commemorative events. He subsequently toured Shanghai, Xi'an, and Chengdu to critical acclaim.

Since arriving in the United States, Mr. Li has performed dozens of solo recitals in Boston and cities across America, including prestigious venues in Boston and New York. His New York debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall was performed to a sold-out audience. He has performed nearly a hundred classical works from Bach to contemporary composers like Messiaen, consistently receiving enthusiastic responses from audiences.

Beyond solo performances, Mr. Li has appeared as concerto soloist with the Newton Symphony Orchestra at America's three most prestigious concert halls: Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Boston Symphony Hall. Each performance was met with sold-out audiences and enthusiastic responses. Audiences can still view some of Mr. Li's performances on YouTube by searching "Li Fan plays..."

In February 2000, The Boston Globe featured an extensive interview with Mr. Li as the lead story in their "People and Places" section, dedicating nearly a full page to the feature.

Mr. Li's CD of Chinese piano music was released by Centaur Records in 2003 and continues to be available on major CD websites in Europe and the United States, including Amazon, with strong sales continuing through 2025.

In addition to performing, Mr. Li has been teaching piano for many years. Centering his pedagogy on "practicing piano with determination," he has developed his own teaching method by incorporating the best practices from various approaches. Since 2003, he has created the "Young Piano Talents" concert series, presenting 3-6 high school students annually performing challenging repertoire such as Liszt's Sonata in B minor, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.

From 2017-2024, Mr. Li has been honored as a Steinway Top Teacher by Steinway & Sons New York, based on voting by Steinway Piano Gallery Boston. Nearly 40 of his high school students have been accepted to America's top universities including Harvard, Yale, MIT, Princeton, and Brown.