A native of Shenzhen, China, TianYi Li traveled to New York in his early teens to pursue his love of piano. Within six years, he had finished his high school and undergraduate curricula, graduating cum laude from New York University Steinhardt, where he worked with Eduardus Halim. He continued his studies at the Juilliard School, where he obtained his Master of Music degree in 2020 and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2025 under the guidance of Jerome Lowenthal. Mr. Li is the recipient of the third prize, alongside prizes for best performance of a semifinal recital, best performance of romantic works, and best performance of a Scarlatti Sonata at the 2017 Tbilisi International Piano Competition; the sixth prize at the 2024 Xiamen International Piano Competition; and a two-time Bowdoin International Music Festival piano fellow, in 2022 and 2024. As a soloist, he has given recitals in the United States, Europe, and China.
Recent highlights include a concert at the Oracle Piano Society in Arizona and the complete Rachmaninoff Études-Tableaux at the Shanghai International Piano Festival & Institute. As a chamber musician, he has performed with the New Juilliard Ensemble and AXIOM in Alice Tully Hall, Peter Jay Sharp Theater, and at the Metropolitan Opera Club. He has also served as resident artist at the Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program in Sarasota, and at the Bermuda Piano Festival. A devoted pedagogue, Mr. Li is a Secondary Piano instructor at Juilliard, a Postgraduate Teaching Fellow at the New School for Music Study, and maintains an active private studio. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with his family.
Teaching Statement: I believe that my primary tasks as a teacher are to help students discover their unique artistic voice, and to equip them with the necessary pianistic and musical skills to pursue that voice. The first goal can be achieved by listening to and playing music that resonates with the students, and the second goal necessitates not only work in the classroom, but also effective practicing methods at home.