About
Andrew Li credits his time in the Harvard University/New England Conservatory of Music joint program with substantially aiding in his development as a musician and a human being. He is currently finishing a bachelor’s degree in human evolutionary biology and a master’s in piano performance, the latter under the guidance of Wha Kyung Byun, with whom he has studied since the age of 12.
He is a winner of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Youth Concerto Competition and the Harvard Music Association Achievement Awards, as well as a prizewinner at numerous international competitions, such as the Cooper International Piano Competition, Hilton Head International Piano Competition, and Minnesota International Piano-e-Competition.
Andrew has previously performed with the Boston, Boston Civic, Minnesota, Hilton Head, Pro Musica, Glens Falls, Lexington, and NEC Youth Symphony Orchestras, and has appeared in venues such as Boston’s Symphony and Jordan Halls, Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall, Vancouver Playhouse, Warner Concert Hall, and Shalin Liu Performance Center. He has been featured on NPR’s From the Top, both as soloist and with his trio.
He was exposed to music from a very early age, primarily from listening to his older brother George practice in their Lexington, Massachusetts, home. Andrew started piano lessons at the age of 6 with Dorothy Shi, emboldened by the challenge of beating his brother. However, his competitiveness quickly gave way to a profound love of music, relishing in finding deeper meanings and hidden gems within. Competing in the Cliburn is one of his childhood dreams: he remembers repeatedly watching the 2001 Cliburn documentary as a toddler, cheering on Olga Kern and Stanislav Ioudenitch, and waving a chopstick to emulate James Conlon.
Competition Repertoire
Preliminary Round
- HAYDN Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:42
- HOUGH Fanfare Toccata
- STRAVINSKY Trois mouvements de Pétrouchka
- LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6
Quarterfinal Round
- BEETHOVEN Six Variations on an Original Theme in F Major, op. 34
- BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Books I and II
Semifinal Round - Recital
- BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 4 in E-flat Major, op. 7
- PROKOFIEV Sarcasms, op. 17
- RACHMANINOV Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 36 (1931)
Semifinal Round - Mozart Concerto
- MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466
Final Round - Concerto 1
- BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37
Final Round - Concerto 2
- TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, op. 23
Meet Andrew
Performance Videos
Preliminary Round
HOUGH Fanfare Toccata
STRAVINSKY Trois mouvements de Pétrouchka
LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6
Quarterfinal Round
BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Books I and II
Relive the 2022 Competition
Own the 30 live recordings of each competitor’s Preliminary Round performance of Sir Stephen Hough’s Fanfare Toccata.