Li Wei

Artistic education

Born in Shanghai; moved to Australia at the age of 13, before accepting scholarships to study with Ralph Kirshbaum (Royal Northern College of Music Manchester) and with David Takeno (Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London).
In 2002, Li-Wei received the Young Australian of the Year Award.

Artistic career

Li-Wei has enjoyed successful artistic collaborations with the Rundfunk- Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Janowski, London Philharmonic and Bostock, Prague Symphony and Wit, BBC Philharmonic and Totelier, Sinfonia Varsovia and the late Lord Menuhin, and many more.
In recital and chamber music, Li-Wei is a regular guest at the Wigmore Hall and recently made highly successful debuts at New York’s Lincoln Centre and in San Francisco and Washington.
He appears at the BBC Proms, The Shanghai International, the Jerusalem and the Mecklenburg Festivals and broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio 3 and North Deutsche Radio.
In August, 2008, Li-Wei made his critically acclaimed appearance with the New Zealand Symphony at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Festival in the Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing.

Prices and competitions

Li-Wei drew the audience in with his artistry, his brilliant virtuosity and his very refined musicality and sincerity of interpretation’ was the description of the cellist following his performance at the 11th Tchaikovsky International Competition where he was awarded the Silver Medal. He has since won the First Prize in the prestigious 2001 Naumburg Competition in New York.